Humor Me

“I will laugh at the world.

No living creature can laugh except man. Trees may bleed when they are wounded, and beasts in the field will cry in pain and hunger, yet only I have the gift of laughter and it is mine to use whenever I choose. Henceforth I will cultivate the habit of laughter. I will smile and my digestion will improve; I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened; I will laugh and my life will be lengthened for this is the great secret of long life and now it is mine.

I will laugh at the world.

And most of all, I will laugh at myself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously. Never will I fall into this trap of the mind. For though I be nature’s greatest miracle am I not still a mere grain tossed about by the winds of time? Do I truly know whence I came or whither I am bound? Will my concern for this day not seem foolish ten years hence? Why should I permit the petty happenings of today to disturb me? What can take place before this sun sets which will not seem insignificant in the river of centuries?

I will laugh at the world.” -Og Mandino, book The Greatest Salesman In The World

“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.” -Epictetus

“It is more civilized to make fun of life than to bewail it.” -Seneca

“Humor is just another defense against the universe.” -Mel Brooks

“One would sometimes think actors are trying to reverse the life process by what they do onstage. They take humor out instead of put it in. That’s what makes acting unlifelike. I have trouble believing in the seriousness of a scene in which there is no humor; it is unlike life. And yet actors will say to me, “How can I find humor in this scene? It’s very serious!” For the exact same reason one would be driven to find humor in the same situation in life: because it is deadly serious and human beings cannot bear all that heavy weight, they alleviate the burden by humor.” -Michael Shurtleff, book Audition

Speaking of having fun, I recently heard this statistic…

Children on average laugh over 300 times a day. 

Adults, on average, laugh…

…wait for it…

….

….

3.

3 times a day. 

Sigh. 

That’s pretty sad.

Even the Stoics could do better than that.

Life is hard, no doubt. And it becomes increasingly complicated the older we get. But that doesn’t mean we can’t laugh at it and ourselves. Humor is how we get through the difficult times. It helps us cope and make sense of a seemingly senseless world. It reminds us to be thankful we’re alive.

So, this year, let’s find a way to inject more humor (and fun) into our lives. And certainly into our art. We’ll all benefit.

P.S. – This timeless masterclass in humor.