Imagination was given to man to compensate him for what he is
not; a sense of humor to console him for what he is.
~ Francis Bacon
Imagine a world in which there is no wit, no humor, no comic
movies, no cracking of jokes among friends, and no comedy kings on the silver
screen. Scary, is it not? But for the sake of this post, I would have never let
this thought cross my mind. I cannot imagine life without wit and humor.
Because sans humor, life and the innumerable sufferings it entails would have
been impossible to endure and we would not have been able to live a life “well
spent.” I intend to highlight the importance of humor in our lives and urge all
to include humor in all walks of their lives.
Isn't it intriguing that the best things in life come for
free? No matter how much money one has, one can’t buy these things. Humor is
one of those parts of our lives that one can’t buy. Sense of humor is one of
the best accessories that God has bestowed upon humankind for free, to make our
stay comfortable and give us fond memories that help us make our twilight years
full of jolly contemplation. Don’t we all have some childhood memories that are
full of laughter and mirth? Don’t we cherish those jokes we shared with our
friends on the way back from school? Don’t all of us have funny experiences
that still bring an instantaneous smile on our otherwise burdened faces even
today? The answer is a resounding “YES.”
No matter how rich or poor one is, irrespective of one’s
social and financial standing, humor plays a very important role in making our journey
worthwhile. Life, as it is today, is very fast and demanding. We hardly find
time for leisure and fun. We run after things that give us momentary happiness
and in doing so, we forget the seemingly insignificant little things that used
to give us joy earlier. We need to revisit our carefree days as children to
understand how to live a life without tensions and burdens and how to make life
fulfilling, for ourselves and our loved ones.
They say that laughter is the best medicine. Nothing can be
truer. The bard included the jester in his plays to mesmerize his audience. We
have somehow forgotten to play the fool in our own lives. Without our realizing
this dark fact, our work pressure takes a toll on us and unnecessarily makes
our life miserable. Being happy is a state of mind. One does not need to be a
stand-up comedian to create and enjoy laughter. Instead, we need to find humor
in our daily life, in small happenings and incidents that keep on happening
every day, in office and at home. We need to shed a few inhibitions and
accommodate laughter in our routine. We need to learn to laugh at ourselves,
every now and then. We need to understand that as humans, we are not perfect
and that we will commit mistakes. As Oscar Wilde put it, “Life is too important
to be taken seriously.”
The mushrooming of laughter clubs nowadays is a bright ray
of hope. It shows that some of us have not forgotten the importance of laughter
as a remedy for our ills. Having a humorous take on things does not mean that
one is lackadaisical in approach toward work. Instead, humor makes life easy,
increases productivity and helps us produce quality output. It is also known to
make us feel young, energetic, and prolong our life. A smile on any face lifts
the value of that face in manifold ways. A smile breaks barriers and gets
people closer. A smile says a thousand words without them being uttered. A
smile transcends boundaries, transcends cultures, transcends statuses, and
binds people in the bond of happiness and wellbeing. And all this comes for
free!!
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