HUMOR -- PART I

“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine…” Prov. 17:22

Humor can be great fun. We could stop right there and launch into many humorous jokes and anecdotes. But let’s just add this: laughing can provide many health benefits. (It’s also free. And it engages the body in calorie-burning and muscle-toning exercise without gym fees, special exercise outfits, uniforms or equipment). There is actually a science of laughter… Legitimately researched!

So let’s name a few other positive side effects:

Provides stress relief ( Lower levels of cortisol, the stress hormone)… Produces better memory recall… Burns calories… Helps with immune system and the cardiovascular system… Jogs internal organs and the lymph system… Good for the respiratory system, opening up lungs… Puts into gear the natural relaxation mechanisms of the body… Tones abdominal muscles (!)… Boosts mood states… Breaks cycles of mental negativity… The preceding statements are all true, with many legitimate, scientific studies to back them up… but… it was once reported that “ONE MINUTE OF LAUGHTER GIVES YOU THE SAME BENEFIT AS 10 MINUTES ON A ROWING MACHINE”. Sorry… urban legend… “The size of that particular research sample was… one person.”* But that same “one person” was Dr. William Fry of Stanford University, who found that laughing 200 times (not just one minute) will do the trick. Laughing for one minute CAN raise the heart rate in similar ways as exercising for several minutes. (I call that a pretty good trade-off.) *http://www.laughteronlineuniversity.com/laughter-cardiovascular-benefits/

All this means that laughter and humor is really good for the whole person... and for the soul. I believe that humor helps lighten the burdens of life. It is a temporary solution if the problems are overwhelming, but it is far better than just a “band-aid”. It can sometimes turn “bad” feelings right side up—even if it is just for the duration of a laugh or smile… But it is that brief distraction… that momentary connection that just may be enough to rekindle hope… It is as if the pain/problems/ troubles/ pressures are temporarily interrupted and dissipated. This small disruption doesn’t mean that all the difficult stuff is “cured”, but the troubles have perhaps been shifted into a different perspective. Somehow, there is a subliminal message saying, “Life seems good again... Maybe there will be something else to laugh about tomorrow, and the next day, and the next…”

I am reminded of the T.V. show “Mash”. Somehow in the midst of serious anquish and even death there was humor and a realistic acknowledgment of the pain. (I believe we need a high level of understanding and affirmation of severe distress issues with those currently embroiled in the midst of them… starting where their feelings are, and only using humor as appropriate after they first feel our compassion and understanding.) The “Mash” doctors (usually!) did not fail to address the problems which continually knocked on the doors of their tents. They simply lived out a sense of the “ridiculous” in a more extreme way than big-city doctors stateside were doing… or felt compelled to do. In the war zone setting, they continuously lived mostly quite powerless over a great many factors in their lives—including “reasonable office hours”. The daily radical encounters with pain, death, and misery that they experienced tugged hard at the extremities of humor.

I am quite convinced that humor is a mighty weapon (albeit, temporary and limited) against fear, discouragement, doubt, depression, unfruitful anger, problems not readily solved, and even [non-clinical] ‘insanity’. For me, in those very real wrestling matches, it’s a quite preferable and winning alternative! 

Deeper and more sustained answers then come a little more readily—with a little less stress. More substantial and necessary coping solutions, perspectives and patterns—along with the deepest, holiest, and truest character traits— co-exist quite comfortably with good humor. We have a long history of saints and outstanding historical figures who attest to this fact.

HUMOR AND JOY

How do we reconcile “humor” and “joy”? Frankly, there are some who question humor, and even wonder if it is helps create a poor substitute for the deeper existence of joy. Let’s look at that.

Humor is not meant to be a substitute for facing life, travelling through grief, or for finding true joy. Humor can, however, be a temporary de-stressor or a momentary break from a number of negative situations and emotions. In the midst of some overwhelming burdens or situations, it can be like a little “pick me up”. Sometimes, even a little bit of humor can restore our ability to “hang on” or “hang in there” just a little bit longer… until real help, real relief, real answers or real joy are found.

True joy is both discovered and it is received. We can “prime the pump” by deliberately and gratefully choosing to rejoice—even when we don’t quite “feel” like it. Joy is developed as a fruit in us by the Holy Spirit, and is a work of God—as He forms and shapes us, as we willingly surrender to the work of His hands. It is a by-product of dying with Christ. The depths of joy that is from Him can be expressed in many ways—sometimes in song and praise… sometimes in grateful words… sometimes in dance… and sometimes in a quiet peace that echoes “It is well with my soul”—no matter what.

“Yes”—to the unasked question—there is quite a bit of humor that is destructive, hurtful or inappropriate. One drawback to humor is that it is too easy to use it to be covertly mean. (Sometimes this is done by individuals who will then try to put the blame on the recipients, implying that their sense of humor is lacking…)

What is under our own control in what we say or do, or how we respond, is our choice to make—hopefully, resulting in a life-giving and loving selection. But it is God, Himself, who gave us our emotions, and the emotional outlet of laughter. Like any and all emotional expressions, we need to choose wisely just when and how they are expressed. Our own motives, and consideration for the sensitivities of others, all need to be weighed. Humor can be very enjoyable and still be everything good… and kind, too. Although I understand the concerns, I regret to see humor completely “outlawed” by some as “unspiritual” just because it needs to be handled well… not carelessly.

The 21^st century is racing towards lifestyles and situations that—from a Christian and biblical point of view—embroil us in more and more “messy” situations, circumstances, alternatives… and even “assumed” and “presumed” perspectives that hang like gray clouds in the “atmosphere”. We need clear vision, continuous deliberate choices (this is not a time, age or place to just “float along”…), good fellowship, lots of help from God, and healthy outlets for the on-going stress. Humor canbe one of those outlets. It can be done well, and bless many people in the process. Let’s be part of that enjoyable, encouraging, loving process…

For the next few blogs, we will be giving excerpts from some joke books that we have here in the store. We are arranging them under the headings of “church life”, “relationship humor” and “aging”. We hope you enjoy them. (Recommended defense mechanism, to use as needed: Just keep repeating to yourself: “That, of course, was not meant for me. It was aimed at the other guy…” We, too, disavow any direct connection to you or your life… ) For you other braver souls, we say: feel free to laugh at yourselves, too!

Here’s a few to start us off…

“Most people don’t mind if a sermon goes over their heads, as long as it hits somebody else.”1

“Beth, the parish secretary, was feeling pretty discouraged, claiming her heavy workload had led to the recent mistake in the bulletin:

~Remember in your prayers the many people who are sick of our church.”

~On Tuesday evening there will be a potluck supper. Prayer and medication to follow.”

~The pastor will be on vacation for the next two weeks. Massages can be given to the parish secretary.”2

“The seminarian asked his philosophy teacher the difference between ignorance and apathy. ‘I don’t know,’ the teacher said snappily, ‘and I don’t care.’ “3

“A little girl walked to and from school daily. One day, though the weather report that morning was okay, by afternoon the winds had whipped up, bringing thunder and lightning… The little girl’s mother was worried and got in her car and drove along the route to her child’s school. As she did, she saw her little girl walking along… At each flash of lightning, the child would stop, look up, and smile. The mother pulled up… opened the door, and asked, ’What are you doing, Honey? Why are you stopping and smiling every time there is lightning?’ The little girl said, ‘God is taking pictures of me… Don’t you think he wants me to smile?’ “4

“As long as there are tests, there will be prayer in schools.” 5

“I don’t know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.”6

“The married couple, both 70 years old, was celebrating their 50^th anniversary. That night, God appeared to them in prayer to congratulate them for their faithfulness and grant them each one wish. The wife wanted to travel around the world. Poof! The wife had tickets in her hand for a world cruise. Next, God asked the husband what he wanted. He said, ‘I wish I had a wife 30 years younger than me.’ Poof! The husband was 100. “ 7

“During his summer vacation, the … high school teacher injured his back and had to wear a fiberglass cast under his shirt around his upper body. On the first day of school, he was having a hard time keeping the boys… quiet. So he opened a window until a breeze made his tie flap over his shoulder. Then he walked calmly over to his desk, picked up a big stapler, and stapled the tie to his chest. No boy in class… was ever inattentive again.” 8

• 1.Oh, Brother , by Brother Loughlan Sofield, ST, p. 46
• 2.Ibid, p. 66
• 3.Ibid, p. 40
• 4.The Second Boook of Catholic Jokes, by Deacon Tom Sheridan, p. 36
• 5.The Book of Catholic Jokes, by Deacon Tom Sheridan, p. 39
• 6.The Third Book of Catholic Jokes, by Deacon Tom Sheridan, p. 46
• 7.Ibid, p. 44
• 8.The Last Book of Catholic Jokes, by Deacon Tom Sheridan, p. 29