A couple of days back, I was browsing through the Economic Times’ edit page and saw that there was a pictorial section ‘bell curve’ by R Prasad. It comes up daily with some interesting images like Scott Adams Dilbert and Amul in the Times of India. I saw this image and text and I had a good laugh. There are moments like these that bring laughter, not by design. But these days, I have decided to watch some particular comedy by design to elevate states. So when I notice that I am having a hard day or I am sliding into worry I pivot with a comedy pic or some short videos. As it is said, “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones.
Last week I was in my hometown, and I met one of my friends for coffee. While we were talking about how things have changed post-pandemic I told that my mother has found her funny bone post-pandemic. This was also shared by my wife and elder daughter as they too had a good laugh. There were situations where she lightened our moods with her wit and wisdom. I thought that this a great change post her retirement.
I would like to share some of my favourite people when it comes to humour. I like Sir Ken Robinson for his deadpan humour. His style is a dry and quick sense of humour. My wife and I used to watch his videos on education. “If they’re laughing, they’re listening,” Robinson replied to an interviewer. In his most famous TED talk, the laughs start early. Definitely, I will have him on my playlist for laughs and when I discovered he was no more I observed a moment of grief and recovered by seeing his videos.
I recollected that in the past that I had purchased ” Joy of Working ” in the initial days of my career and I used to occasionally go through the same. Last week I was talking to my friend and I said I am always interested in making work fun and I am sure Dilbert helps in fixing it. My gratitude to Scott Adams.
These days I am an avid follower of the ” Just in Jest” column in the Times of India and it had a nice phrase recently, ” Is beard on the chin worth all the bush?”. Once I read that article, in my mind, I was picturizing images of people who are having beards these days (more after the pandemic). I liked the usage in that article of quarantine goatees, lockdown stubbles, and corona beards and there is a new dating trend: beard bating.
Another go-to column is Jug Suraiya’s. Suraiya writes two columns for the print edition of the Times of India. Of the two, Jugular Vein, appears on Friday and the second column Second Opinion appears every Wednesday. His ability to draw connections with historical facts with the current events is worth a laughable read and also makes us think.
Our favorite family comedian is none other than Amit Tandon. These days I am a big fan of a comic series in Malayalam called ” Marimayam“. This pokes fun at our social system and conveys good messages. I understood that there are different types of humor and we can check out which one you are and you like.
If you google for the biological reason for laughing and you will get this one:
Why does laughing make me feel good?
Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. Endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. Laughter protects the heart. RICH is about how you can feel good about yourself and others. Humor is a RICH thing.
I recently saw a meme and I understood why we had prayers in school:
One of my other favorite authors is Mark Twain. The best punchline I like is ” All generalizations are false, including this one”. I saw an article in Big think. He said that “Humor is the great thing, the saving thing after all. The minute it crops up, all our hardnesses yield, all our irritations, and resentments flit away, and a sunny spirit takes their place.” He’s certainly not wrong. Humor may very well be a great thing.
Let me leave you with Tony Coopers’ famous line, ” I used to be indecisive but now I am not quite sure”. It is in these lines we laugh. There are times when my brain tells me, “why are you writing that thing in my blog?” My immediate response which I am cultivating is “What will happen with that thing?”
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