A sense of humor blesses the person with humor as well as those around. As I recapped a eulogy by Alan Simpson, honoring his friend the late George H.W. Bush, a statement made regarding humor impressed.
"Humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life."
This is so true. Humor dissolves and de-corrodes envy, anger, hatred and especially pride. (I've written before my thoughts on humor as being an antidote to pride--that those without humor tend to be prideful souls.)
Too much seriousness and intensity is proven to not be healthy for body, mind, or emotions. Spiritually, a lack of humor--besides creating a heaviness and boring aspect be it in spoken or written word as well as in essence of presence--leads to pride, often enough. A person who cannot laugh, especially at him- or herself, tends to have the mind so consumed with and impressed with self in some way or other, as to be blind to levity or that aspect of joy that even self-deprecating humor can bring to oneself.
However, making "fun" of others is not so humorous, unless the intention is honorable and loving--a shared humor or one in which the end result is to bring all to appreciating the humor in our shared, human foibles.
As is said, we should laugh with others, not at others.
Being in the presence of intense persons who lack a sense of humor evokes a oppressive atmosphere--a type of suffocation of mind and emotions. If one attempts to break through the heaviness with some levity, and there is no fissure in the oppressive seriousness, then laugh within--laugh at oneself in some aspect! Laugh at the human condition of which we all are a part. Laugh at the memories when we were too serious, when our pride held us hostage to insidious intensity.
Pray for the discernment to know when humor will help and when humor is best to be kept within, always like a well being replenished alongside the rising waters of hope and faith. Without humor, each of these virtues of hope and faith begin to go dry; even charity evaporates bit by bit when there is not the warmth of humor to infuse the love with which we adorn others and by which we praise the Lord.
Just now writing about humor has lifted this nothing consecrated Catholic hermit's spirits! The weight of pain upon awakening quite early and trying out a new piece of equipment (Bio-tuner designed to help balance brain waves and which in some subjects has reduced chronic headaches) did not seem to make much difference. But thinking about the ridiculous photo pose yesterday in which I looked as if being electrocuted by the small gadget--photos sent to two friends who are awaiting my "take" on this scientific innovation--has me laughing within.
And at times, even in the solitude of the guest room, I laugh aloud; or I laugh aloud when out and about, when encountering a clerk while running an errand to help out my hosts.
Yesterday I laughed hilariously with a vendor who was standing at Costco, trying to sell memberships. A store employee who was running a wide mop past the vendor, said in a droll voice, "Already got one" (meaning a membership and obviously imitating customers who respond negatively to the ever-patient vendors). Somehow the ability for one employee to get another employee to laugh, made me laugh with a type of joy in the goodness of people who are able to uplift in the silliest and smallest ways, one another.
I ended up turning around and telling the vendor how the barely-noticed humor was caught by me and so appreciated--even needed in the moment. The vendor and I laughed all over again. (They do have a time of it with their share of negations from customers who forget that vendors are simply people having to earn a living in the moment rather than being consumers shopping and spending money.)
Praise God for offering each of us the gift of humor! It is a gift to be cherished and practiced and used--appropriately yet as often as possible. Humor requires the aspect of mind that is wit, yet humor seems mostly to lean upon the heart...the emotions...to swell with lightness, brightness, and the type of joy that can be silly and also sensitive in a brilliance that bores through pride's gloom and weight.
God bless His Real Presence in us!
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