My thoughts Today

Dear Barbara,

The ability to laugh is a primary human attribute, and an indispensable characteristic for a successful life.

Everybody likes to laugh, have fun and celebrate. But laughter can also be used to mock others.

Which begs another question that people often ask: ‘‘Can anything be funny? Can we laugh at everything?’’ The answer is both yes and no.

On the one hand, comedy has no limits, and anything can be made to seem funny, even things that are intrinsically tragic. 

But when laughter is used as a weapon to harm people, by ridiculing or humiliating them, it exceeds its limits and can no longer be seen as comic.

There’s another kind of laughter that falls somewhere between the two extremes, and that’s the ability to laugh at yourself, and question your own existence. 

It’s easy laughing at others. It could be something they say, or a gesture they make that you find amusing. People are funny, animals are funny, and we all have the ability to laugh at them. 

Knowing how to laugh at yourself is a little harder. It may be difficult, it may leave a bittersweet taste in your mouth, but in the end you’ll find it highly beneficial. Knowing how to laugh at yourself is a sign of great humility and wisdom.

You sometimes need to take yourself less seriously, and see the bright side of life. I’m not saying you should make fun of your faults, but simply that you should sometimes try to see things from a distance, and not consider yourself the most important person on the planet.

 

Being able to laugh at yourself enables you to analyze what happens to you in a relaxed way, so you can get the best out of each experience, whether it’s good or bad. 

Self laughter de-dramatizes situations, prevents you from making mountains out of molehills, and channels your energy into what’s really important in life.