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LAUGHTER IS THE BEST MEDICINE
What is laughter? What is comedy? What is humor and sense of
humor? Is it a goodmedicine for our mind and body?
Nobody can give a clear definition for all these except for the
last question. We all experience the emotion of enjoying a comedy
scene or a humorous scene butwe just cant define it in concrete
terms. My laughter and sense of humor can be different from yours.
Again, I need not enjoy the same humor always in the same
intensity. It could be contextual and to the degree of my mood.
Again, the repetition of the same comedy scene or the same dialogue
which had led me to laughterneed not invoke in me the same depth of
it now. After a few repetitions, I might
feel very awkward about it. I might even reject it.
So, the effects are very reflective. Thus, it becomes very
difficult to define what laughter is, what makes a person laugh in
a particular context or what constitutes behind the chemistry of
sense of humor.
When do we smile or laugh? Let us examine. When we are not sad
or when our heartis light. A smile comes out of our heart when we
have no pre-judgments of situations, pre-conclusions or any other
prejudices. We see a baby and send our smile. We have no prejudices
against that baby. We have no discrete thoughts. We do not judge
the baby from any angle. We see our own reflection upon the face of
the
baby. So, we smile at the baby to the fullness of our heart. We
enjoy the presence of the baby.
So, our smile and laughter and sense of humor are a question of
transparency ofour heart at a given moment. When our mind remains
within a context, we cant really enjoy laughter or comedy or humor
in its fullness. This is the truth. Only afree heart can enjoy
laughter in a better way.
Why should we laugh when our heart is free? As we can see, bliss
or Ananda is thevery nature of our spirit. Taithareeyopanishad
clearly says this. So, when our mind and heart become free from
their level of prejudices, dual nature, the essence of the spirit
begins to radiate. One stage of it laughter, another stage is
viewing life as a comedian, as a witness with enough sense of
humor. The final stage is just the experience of bliss. These all
depend on the tightness or lightness of mind.
How do gestures, mannerisms, certain ideas, certain conflicts
and events make you smile or laugh? There is no particular theory
about this. There is the feeling
of being a witness, an element of contradiction, unexpectedness,
suddenness when looked upon from a higher angle, an abnormality
from the expected normal level
s within the event horizon that make you laugh. The degree of
laughter could vary from a discrete smile to a chuckle, to a noisy
clamorous laughter. Something has touched your heart. Something has
made your heart light. Life has spoken to you in a different way.
Whereas the participants may take the situation in a serious way,
you, as a witness, as a detached person have taken it in a lighter
way.
This is the key factor. When politicians are waging a verbal
battle on a stage,you can go on laughing if you can perceive the
scene as a detached person. You
are not at all emotionally moved by the scene. A drama is going
on that is all.
What is humor? We are all actors in the drama of life. While
acting, we are emotionally charged. We are bracketed. When we
review our scenes as a witness or when we see the same drama as an
ordinary spectator, we can easily feel the difference of the
situation as an involver and a detached reviewer. This difference
isthe basis of humor. You may feel that the situation did not
expect so much overreaction or under-reaction. And if you have a
good sense of humor, you will rightly get at the triviality of the
situation. So, what is the sense of humor? It i
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Nevertheless such scenes mark a difference with intellectual
humor where life isviewed from a higher angle and answering the
call of life like Lord Krishna fro
m the very battlefield of life. We all have laughter within us
but do not know how and when to laugh. My context and your context
can be different. Our mental reactions can be different. Body
level, psychic level and intellectual level produce different
levels of humor. If you find laughter in the slang, then, you areat
the body level only. If you are really humorous, of viewing life
beyond emotions and sentiments, then, you are at the level of
spirit. It you are after intellectual humor, then, you are more at
the mental, language level, wishing to toss
with words and ideas.
Whatever be the grounds for laughter, to be able to laugh is a
gift indeed. It releases the mental pressure. Why should we wear a
serious face and be brooding over? Why should we live in
frustration for no reason? The problem with most of us is our
haunting past, our brooding nature. We often get stuck to this
level. Only a detached viewer and reviewer can get past this level.
Those who have achieved this level can whole heartedly laugh. They
have a keen sense of humor aboutthem. This is the keynote behind
laughter. Only those who are mentally free can
laugh better. This is the truth.Laughter is the best medicine.
No doubt about it. It relaxes our muscles and eases out our
tension. Man should know how to reduce his tension. Prasanna
Vadanam Dhyayeth, Sarva Vigna Upasanthaye is one Mantra - Meditate
on the blooming, fresh,happy face of Lord Vishnu. All troubles will
vanish.
Laughter temporarily detaches the mind from everything else. It
is actually thisdetachment that releases the mental tension. The
highest grade of detachment isthat of a monk Sarva sanga parithyagi
and his laughter could be a mystic smile
as that of Shakespeare when he said The entire world is a
stage.
Today we have Laughter Clubs. They call it laughter therapy.
That is good. Amonga gathering they induce laughter and the
induction current is carried on. But l
et us not limit laughter to certain patterns or techniques or to
a drill. Laughter should be taken as a way of life, as a view of
life. The flexibility of mindshould be maintained. This is most
important.
Society has a role to play in the promotion of laughter amongst
most of us. Beginning from our parents, everybody has a role to
play. We are taught that life is
full of care where laughter has no place. In the eyes of the
world, laughter means taking life without any seriousness. The
world has its own measuring scalesfor this. The basic problem is
that we are anxious and afraid of our past, present and especially
of future. In the mental struggle for survival, we not only forget
to laugh but make the world less bright by asking it to refrain
from laughter.
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Footnote:- This is taken from my Writers Diary- Book No . Serial
No 2830 Dated 03/05/2003 -04/05/2003
