Sunday, August 20, 2000		Article

WHEN we say: "He has no sense of humour" it is often a form of condemnation. But the idea that we should take steps to cultivate it rarely occurs to us. A well developed sense of humour is a therapy and a social value. It dispels anxiety and brings goodwill from others.

Have you heard of the man who tried to be a philosopher but cheerfulness kept breaking in? Good humour, invites cheerfulness whenever you wish.

It is a sunny response to real or imagined situations. At the same time, it is a commentary on them. This commentary consists in our appreciation of the difference between an imagined standard or ideal and the reality.

Appreciation of this difference or incongruity is also responsible for that element of surprise which is an integral part of humour. When G.K. Chesterton writes that the cows in a field "called a committee" the words not only convey a picture of a group of the animals but at the same time endow them with qualities we do not expect.

It is the simultaneous vision of reality, on the one hand, and some departure from reality, on the other, that provokes the smile.

This is an index of our attitude to life. We all vary considerable, day by day, in our reaction to the innumerable situations we encounter. What we have to do is to foster the habit of a good-humoured response.

We can learn to laugh at ourselves. Consider how professional comedians use this device.

In his private life a person may be well-known for his generosity. But on screen a large part of his success is due to the legend of his being incredibly mean — a legend which he creates and deliberately cultivates because it provides an endless source of laughter, at his own expense!

We need not go to such lengths but a readiness to see an element of the ridiculous in our own behaviour, particularly in our shortcomings or mistakes, will go a long way to making life more pleasant.

When a man laughs at himself, he is absolved of all malice. Others are much readier to laugh with him because they know they are not the target.

It is all too easy to arouse laughter by calling attention to the failings of others, but this should be guarded against. To look for, and them laugh at the faults in ourselves may, at first require an effort, but the results are rewarding.

Relax and let your mind go over the events of the day. Pick out any happenings, however trivial, that made you smile, even for a moment. Re-live that moment and enjoy it.

Then try to invent some detail that would have made the incident even funnier. Give your imagination full rein. By exercising it in this way, you will make your kind more perceptive of the comic element in other situations you encounter.

Turn for a few moments to some of the less pleasant events that came your way. Perhaps you lost your temper over some triviality. You know now, in your present reflective mood, that you might just as easily have laughed.

Prepare yourself now for such future occasions by seeing yourself, in your imagination, meeting them with a smile. Do not make stern resolves, nor dwell unduly on your faults. Simply let your imagination play on the way you could have met the situation if you had been more prepared to see the funny side.

Make a daily reflection and you will find your attitude gradually changing in practice. The benefit, in health and happiness, that such a change of attitude can bring is well worth the effort required to achieve it.

The humorous word. It can often be a source of humour in itself. Consider this from the writer of humour, P.G. Wodehouse: "He spoke with a certain what-is-it in his voice, and I could see that, if not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled."

This felicity does not come easily to everyone. But there are few jokes that cannot be improved by giving a trifle more attention to the words employed.

Read the jokes in your magazines and newspapers at least twice. First, simply to enjoy them, and then to study how they are phrased. See if the substitution of your own words can improve them.

Apart from giving you a greater insight into how the elements of a joke are built up, this will make you more readily prepared to put into humorous words the things that amuse you.

Try to help others with your humour. Laughter aroused by exposing the faults or idiosyncrasies of others should be treated with reserve.

It is true that we can sometimes laugh at other people without any unkind intention but if we attempt this too often there is the risk of passing from good-humour to sarcasm or sneering losing their friendship.

Set out with the intention of cheering others when they are depressed, and lifting their depression with a witty remark. It is the sharing of a gift that gives it its value. This is equally true of spreading sunshine to other’s life.