Laughter Is The Best Medicine

They say that laughter is the best medicine, right? We could sure use that kind of medicine in today's world. Laughter can be such a powerful tool. Joking can make light of a difficult situation, which can lead to diffusion of tension and aid relationship building. Humor keeps the mind light and young. Laughter has so many healing properties; laughter decreases stress hormones, boosts the immune system, improves mood, improves breathing, burns calories, and even produces anti-aging properties in facial muscles. Awesome, right? What happens when seemingly harmless humor becomes used as a weapon? It is awful that in our society today we have made a huge shift in how we use this powerful tool called laughter.

I have a past relationship that was built on passive aggressive humor. Every single joke or prank was at my expense. I've always tried to be objective about things, so I tried really hard not to get my feelings hurt. But after a while, it sure didn't feel like love. But it did feel a lot like pain.

If I ever did protest a joke at my expense, I always got the canned response of, "I was just joking!" 

Folks, why would we use laughter (such a beautiful gift) to hurt others?

And relax, I am not talking about sarcasm. Sarcasm can be like a pinch of cayenne pepper that can add spice to a dish. Sarcasm can be like the word "shit"; it has it's politically incorrect purpose, but in some situations, it's absolutely necessary.

What I would say though is that too often we mask our pain, fear, insecurity, etc. through mean-spirited humor. And this is the epitome of being passive aggressive, for this behavior says, "I'm a mean person attempting to present myself as a nice, funny person, but I ultimately I want to hurt you too." And if you think about it, that just makes you a lying, mean person with bad intentions.  

Ultimately it's about intent. Is your humor well intended? Are you trying to lighten the mood, to ease pain, to comfort? Or is your humor a thinly veiled attempt to hide your pain and  pass it to another like some sort of "pain disease"?

Every single time I have caught myself engaging in such behavior, I find that I'm feebly attempting to protect myself, hide my pain. We all have pain. It's time we stop the awful cycle of self-destruction. If we all loved each other just half as much as we hate, the world would truly be heaven on earth.

"Respect people's feelings even if they mean NOTHING to you because it could mean EVERYTHING to them."

Thanks for reading,
K