Friday, June 24, 2011

World Humor

Given that humor is so subjective ("you had to be there" kind of thing), I couldn't possibly hope to achieve my goal of bringing humor to the world without including the world in this effort. Besides, we all have different problems that we enjoy laughing about.



Have you ever received a gift that was more about the person giving it than for you? Laughter's one of those gifts. We revel in laughter when we make others laugh. Jay Snakley, author of Zen and the Art of Stand-Up Comedy, stated in his book that humor is "a public act of sharing," a public service, if you will. So, serving up humor on a global scale is a global public service, which requires global participation. Even though Snakley claims that "funny" can't "be taught," it can still be enjoyed and recognized... and for the record, I'm not entirely certain that humor can't be taught. Drew Carey reportedly taught himself how to be funny out of a joke book and now he's entertaining a whole lot of drunk people in Vegas with his stand-up improvisation act.


My colleagues are wondering what the heck I'm trying to accomplish with all this humor business and whether or not I've gone off the deep end. I guess it is akin to sitting at the edge of life with a giant pool behind you. 


Switching gears as passionately and fervently as I have certainly raises eyebrows, but it doesn't change the fact that humor feels good and everyone on this planet, at some level, wants to feel good, wants to laugh, and wants to share that laughter with others. Just as we have agencies that attend to the well-being of those unfortunate souls who without aide would perish, there should be a call for a world organization that makes jokes readily accessible to the masses. 


If you, too, feel that celebrating the humorous aspects of life is an integral aspect of being or of becoming, don't wait. Enjoy the moment. Have fun - and share it! Whether improvising onstage or in life, it's essential to be in the moment. The moment is where the possibility of humor lives. When we're future-tripping or past-clutching, we are not available to really connect with what's important - namely, a good joke. Allow yourself to notice the funny and scream, "LOL, LOL!" 



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