Humor as a Coping Mechanism

Subvert him!!! United, we can do it.....

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I think that humor that is universal is a wonderful antidote to sorrow. If it is something that we, as human beings, can all relate. I have found that the finest comedians are not those who pick on politicians, or something that is happening in the news (although they CAN be funny).I believe that the comedians who use themes that are common to all mankind, to which we may all relate, and are not at the expense of one group of people or another, are the funniest.

As most of you know, I went through a life threatening illness, of which I was not supposed to survive. Well, one day, my husband and I went to the cemetery where we had bought two plots (They were on sale ). I walked around and checked out the tombstones, looked at and evaluated each one, and picked out the type that I wanted, from the color to the kind of engraving. I warned him that I would come back and haunt him if he did not get me exactly what I wanted. We were laughing about this the whole time.

I remember that afternoon very fondly, as one of the funniest couple of hours that I have ever enjoyed!

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THAT is humour as a coping mechanism!

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I think our ability to make light of a tragedy is a sign of healing. It is when we CAN'T laugh at something that you know we have been badly hurt as a society. Note that there are very few (none that I am aware of) jokes about the 9/11 crisis yet.

Remember the Jonestown, Guyana tragedy when hundreds of people drank poisoned kool-aid and died? Do you know why there are so few jokes about Jonestown?
--Because the "punch" line is too long.

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pueo wrote:

even in wartime situations humor can be found.

Believe me, there is indeed "Battlefield Humor". Believe me too, that it is situational in nature, depends on shared experience, and would greatly distress a large portion of the otherwise uninvolved populace. You don't want to go there if you ain't been there.

timber

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I think all stressful workplaces are like that - I have noticed the folk who can use black humour cope well - but there is a point at which it can betoken burnout- 'tis a fine line.

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Equus: The Onion did a beautiful and very funny issue about 9/11, about 2 weeks after the tragedy. It made me laugh, then cry more than I was able to do before I read it.

Laughter is the antidote for sorrow as Phoenix said, especially when you've been in deep pain and holding it inside. I went around with a huge knot in my throat after 9/11, and the pieces in The Onion finally loosened it up.

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2001 Onion Archives

Among the headlines in that issue:

American Life Turns Into Bad Jerry Bruckheimer Movie

God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule

Hijackers Surprised To Find Selves In Hell: 'We Expected Eternal Paradise For This,' Say Suicide Bombers

Not Knowing What Else To Do, Woman Bakes American-Flag Cake

Point-Counterpoint: America's Response:We Must Retaliate With Blind Rage vs. We Must Retaliate With Measured, Focused Rage...

U.S. Vows To Defeat Whoever It Is We're At War With

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The "God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule" is an absolute classic. I had a very similar reaction, dream, especially in the context of the Onion, which I started reading as a freshman at UW-Madison, it's first year of existence, and still think of as the local rag. That was about as serious as they get.

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ok so its monday night and i am kinda half watching PBS and its a program about India and they are visiting a Hindu Ashram and as they enter the Ashram there are posted rules of conduct for inside the Ashram. There are some not unexpected rules like no talking politics, no sexual contact, etc but YIKES rule number nine pops up, NO HUMOR allowed. Now i have always regarded humor as a common mechanism of healing and i have also thought of Hindu traditions emphasizing a healthy mind and a healthy body. Discuss---

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Gosh!

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Sozobe: it was the 'God Angrily Clarifies "Don't Kill" Rule' that made me laugh, then cry a lot. That was by far the best piece in that Onion issue.

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Yep. The Onion link is at the top of my favorites (just under Yahoo and Google) and I remember passing over it many times after 9/11, not quite daring to see what they'd say, not feeling ready to laugh, then just being blown away. That one issue really did so much.

dys, interesting! Maybe it's a language thing -- like no joking, not no humor at all.

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NO HUMOR.

Well, that would explain Buddhism, then.

Great comfort was taken in discussing how glad the gf's stepfather would have been that, because he was a Platinum member and on vacation, American Express had to pay for his transit back to the states. (A great lover of freebies was George.)

Or, you know who wasn't funny? Hitler. Hitler: not a funny man.

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hmmmmm ... wrestling here with the concept of one Buddhist laughing ...

timber

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"What are you laughing at, lama?"

"Nothing."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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hee hee!

For what it's worth:

Quote:

The Zen Buddhist master Joshu Sasaki-Roshi was one such person. When he was asked why he had to come to America his answer was "I have come to teach people to laugh." Zen Buddhism is one tradition in which laughter is viewed as a part of life and is considered a crucial element of spiritual practice. A student may be asked to reflect on a confusing, and at times humorous, koan, such as "what sound does one hand clapping in the forest make?" Or a student may be asked to do what Sasaki-Roshi asked his students to do - stand up first thing in the morning and laugh out loud from the belly for five minutes. He believed this practice was equal to many hours sitting meditation.

http://www.nwuuc.org/sermons/DS_2002_0210.asp

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however the topic was Hinduism not Buddhism

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Dys, it became about Buddhism.

patiodog wrote:

NO HUMOR.

Well, that would explain Buddhism, then.

(And subsequent posts.)

I haven't found quotes online and am too lazy to go downstairs, but a professor of mine, Kirin Narayan, wrote a great book called "Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels" which focuses on the VERY humorous Swamiji.

"Storytellers, Saints, and Scoundrels"

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OK

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Humor as a Coping Mechanism

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