Laugh at Life - What Is Humour?

When life can be taken very lightly, we can laugh at it. But what allows us to be able to laugh at some things, and get very serious and bent out of shape with other things? In other words, what is humour? And what gives us our sense of humour?

"Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement." The definition alone points to the fact that humour is nothing more than a very high sense of acceptance. You know this from your own experience. If perceiving something alone can give us pleasure and amusement, we must really accept and enjoy the fact that it exists or occurs.

The fact that everyone does not laugh at life in the same way shows us that some people have higher acceptance of some things in life than others. They see things differently. This is why what you think is funny is called a 'sense.' Your perspective is a sense. A sense of humour is purely your perspective. This can be proven in your very own past experience.

There have been times in life when you may have had to go through a 'tough' situation. Later on, the very same situation may be looked back on fondly as humourous. We've all heard the saying, "We'll look back on this and laugh." But if the situation did not change, what changed? Our perspective. Life is all about perspective.

The more space we are able to put around any life situation, the funnier or easy to accept it becomes. By putting space around it, I mean adding perspective or taking a step back. Having an ere of detachment from it relieves any resistance to it. Often we allow ourselves to add this space through the passage of time. It is easier for the ego to become detached over longer periods of time. Since time is an illusion though, we can realize that we will be able to accept and find humour in things immediately if we are detached enough. We can add the space right now if we are not caught in ego perspective.

A sense of humour is a precious thing. The more you enhance this sense, the more enjoyable your perspective (or vice-versa). Life isn't that serious unless the ego is overly involved.

Live, laugh, love. The more we do of one, the more we do of them all. Live it up. Laugh it up. Love it up.

Related posts:

• You Gotta Laugh!
• Why So Serious?
• Your Perspective is Your Creation
  

You Gotta Laugh!

Ever thought about what laughter really is? What is it that makes us laugh? Why does it feel so good? Why does it have healing qualities? How or what makes it such a universal experience? Well, your in luck. Here's some food for thought.

It has been stated in many philosophies and spiritual teachings that one's experience in life is all dependent on their chosen perspective. Don't take mine or any one else's word for it. Simply look at your own life and you will have no choice but to acknowledge this truth.

To be a little more specific though, a person's perspective can be split into two main groups. The first is acceptance. This has many degrees or levels of intensity to it. Acceptance may range any where from simple contentment to ecstatic bliss. The second group would be resistance. This too has many degrees or levels. Resistance may range from minor irritations and low level background stress to major life and identity threatening, pain and stress. Acceptance of what is leads to adaptability to any situation and the perspective that allows one to be optimistic and feel good if not great. Resistance of what is leads to stress of varying degrees.

So what does all of this have to do with laughter? Laughter is a very high form of acceptance. It is one of the strongest and most evident ways we acknowledge that we are in acceptance of what is. Think about what actually makes us laugh. No matter what your sense of humor is like, people always laugh at what they are willing to accept. Resistance to life situations crumble before the power of laughter.

To illustrate this, think about a good comedian's material. A good comedian can make people laugh at some of the toughest and/or most awkward situations a person can go through. People often say, "It's funny because it's true." When you really look at it, the comedian is making light of a situation that a lot of people would be in resistance to. He or she is literally relieving the stress of resistance and replacing it with a high dose of acceptance. This is why laughter feels so good. When people are in any form of acceptance, they tend to feel good. The higher the form of acceptance, the better you feel. When we laugh at any incident or situation in life, there is a feeling of lightness or levity. We acknowledge what it is and at the same time embrace it with all of its ramifications, consequences, and repercussions. It is your spirit showing how it can really adapt to anything possible.

Being in good spirits of any kind is always good for a person when it comes to their health. It has been continuously proven how stress is the main reason our bodies succumb to sickness. Even the word "disease" points to this fact. 'Dis-ease' is lack of ease, better known as stress. Of course a high dose of acceptance is a major stress reliever and goes far beyond that to the process of healing.

Laughter is such a universal experience because we all have the spark of life known as Consciousness within us. It is what animates each and every one of us. It is the Observer before thought, labeling, and judgment. Therefore, the choice as to how we perceive our experience is universal. It is always a choice of resistance or acceptance. Laughter, among many other perspectives and emotions, does not discriminate.

So have you had a good laugh lately? Sometimes you can have the best laugh just observing your own self and how you might react to some life situations. Attitude and perspective is everything. You gotta laugh. :-D

To get more in depth on a lot of the concepts mentioned here, read What Is Really Good? and stay tuned!