Laughter, In a Sad World?

Café-Salon Philosophique #2

November 15, 1997

No. of Participants: 20

Bubb's Café 30th & Baseline, Boulder, CO.   First & Third Saturdays of the Month

Samuel Avital, Host and Moderator One of the World's Greatest Mimes and also known as "Provocateur Extraordinaire" and "Water Philosopher"

What is Humor? What is Laughter? Samuel started the evening with discussing the logo design for Café- Salon Philosophique which shows a cup of coffee depicting Society as "caffeine heads" searching for balance in life with many questions still unanswered. "Why are we here?" "Why do people choose automechanical movements rather than learning about active participation and animation of their bodies for enjoying life?" "Why do we continue to "sleepwalk" (not being conscious of what one does) through life?"

People need reasons to laugh but, yet how many people are able to find humor in daily situations? Not many. We are either too busy, too serious, too stressed, too worried by the problems we create to stop and look at how ridiculous it is trying keep up with such a hectic pace. And everything we do is done so seriously!

Why do people conform to acting this way? Why do those around us not want to see, participate or be part of humorous situations? Why do others not enjoy seeing others happy? And why is this a world where humor is not "the norm?". These and many other questions were introductory thoughts for Café Salon Philosophique's second meeting discussion on humor and laughter.

So how does one begin to see the humor in daily absurdities lived by people? LOOK! WATCH! OBSERVE! It's all around you - human follies. Watch what they create. Watch what you create. Observe all of life. Make a conscious effort to slow the pace way down in order to see new ways of making choices for unloading perceived burdens. After unloading perceived burdens or problems, realize the nonsense you made out of sense. And if you really want to be honest with yourself, realize how you chose to create "the problems" in the first place. Then add to "the problems" seriousness, worry and busy, and no wonder you don't think you've got anything to laugh about......

So how do we find laughter and from where does it come? Laughter comes through physical release of tension by way of the mechanism of The Breath into the form of humor. We were then asked to stop and consider for a moment about, "How do we breathe?" Shallow! Humans do not fully inhale or exhale the air in which they live. Society does a "pant" breathing rather than full breathing created by self-made hectic lifestyles. Since breathing is an involuntary mechanism, humans don't give much thought or attention to the one thing that brings them life - The Breath.

Samuel quoted a research statistic about how "out of every 60 seconds, humans are present to only two seconds of each and every minute of their life." That's 58 seconds of nonpresence. Without attention to the breath or giving time to really observe what we do with our bodies, we continue to "sleepwalk" (not being conscious of what we do) through life.

So just where and how does the mechanism of laughter begin? Samuel lead the group in discovering the mechanism of laughter through a series of deep diaphragmatic inhalations and exhalations of HA, HA, HA! This simple exercise makes one aware of many things - how deep one is breathing, places of tension and holding patterns in the body, and the sounds that can flow up from the depths of the diaphragm.

It was interesting to note the difference in body language of the group before and after the laughter exercise. People were obviously more relaxed after the laughter exercise. But it was also interesting to observe how everyone automatically returned to their previous state of "seriousness" within a few minutes. The simple exercise of diaphragmatic laughter helps one to understand how joy and laughter are right on "the edge" of our seriousness and sadness. The comedy/ tragedy symbol also reminds us of this phenomenon (happiness right on the edge of sadness).

Have you ever experienced laughing and crying at the same time? Have you ever stopped to realize that you are using the same muscles for laughing that you are for crying?

So what does make one laugh? "Children giggling." "Laughing at animals with clothes on." Attending "The Circus!" One stated "tickling makes me laugh." Others commented, "when another gets hurt by falling down I laugh." "British humor," "everyday things exaggerated," and "funny faces in the mirror."

One Café participant stated that, "humor was seeing the ridiculousness of daily situations." Another stated that, "humor is a connection to another human being, while one "wasn't quite sure" how to define humor. Others stated humor to be, "laughing for joy without reason," "thoughts or ideas which generate emotion," "an invitation for expression," Others commented that humor is, "when there is a sudden break or transition in logic."

We also see things in the world that aren't humorous and don't make us laugh. There are universal concerns about life/death, war/peace, love/lust, poverty and hunger. There are injustices to be found everywhere - big and small.

One must realize that they have a choice for the way they view and be in the world and to how and what they give their attention. The most effective humor comes when one can laugh at their own mistakes, situations and problems. When one is able to create their own state of comedy from learned experiences and laugh, then they've discovered the great cosmic joke.

Samuel reminded us to stay present to "the edge," of sadness or seriousness and there you will find humor. Learn to laugh at your own mistakes and stupidity. Look! Watch! Observe! Laugh! Never make the same mistake twice. Remember to make new ones only.....

The next meeting's topic for discussion will be, "Do we know how to be totally guiltless?"

Reported by Alessandra