“There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.” – Charles Dickens
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“That a man can laugh shows that he has a sense of proportion; what makes us laugh is the perception of some incongruity, of something misproportioned or grotesque. It is a sign of our sanity; and also, of our solidarity.”
That remark originates from John Gifford. His words came to mind as I read the story below, which was forwarded to me via email. Read and enjoy…
The incident involved Danilo “Dan” Torres, a man reportedly from Bicol who traveled to the United States. Like several Filipinos before him, he overstayed his visa and became a TNT (Tagalog for “tago ng tago”).
On one occasion, he visited a convenience store to purchase a cigarette. As he was about to make his payment, the cashier inquired, “Master or Visa?” Dan was taken aback. “Oh no,” he thought, “she is asking for my visa.”
He promptly abandoned the cigarette and hurried to his car, driving away. When he was nearly out of gas, he stopped at a gas station. The gas attendant asked if he wanted unleaded. “Unleaded,” Dan confirmed. The attendant then instructed him, “Pay first.” Once again, Dan was caught off guard. “Oh no, he is asking for my pertinent papers.”
He exited his vehicle and rushed to a phone booth to call his brother residing in New York. “AT&T, may I assist you?” the operator inquired. Dan was already sweating, thinking, “Even the operator is aware that I am a TNT.”
Unfortunately, a police officer was stationed outside the booth, also intending to use the phone. Dan was uncertain about what to do; he remained inside the booth for nearly ten minutes. The officer asked, “Are you done?” Dan gazed at the officer in shock. “Oh my God, he recognizes me. This officer knows my name,” he muttered to himself.
When Dan failed to respond, the officer further questioned, “Are you a tourist?” At this point, Dan nearly lost consciousness. “What is this, he also knows my last name.”
As Dan felt himself about to faint, the officer attempted to assist him. “Hey! Be cool!” he advised Dan. Just before he lost consciousness, Dan thought, “He even knows I am from Bicol.”
This tale has been recounted numerous times, yet it consistently brings laughter to those who hear it. “Laughter gives us distance,” said Bob Newhart. “It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.” Arnold Glasow also said, “Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects.”
From time to time, we ought to laugh. “Seven days without laughter,” says Mort Walker, “makes one weak.” And Friedrich Nietzsche theorizes: “Perhaps I know best why it is man alone who laughs; he alone suffers so deeply that he had to invent laughter.”
When we laugh, as many as 15 small muscles squeeze our faces into a smile. Increased blood flow there may turn us a bit pinker and give us a happy glow.
If the laugh is vigorous enough, our tear ducts can activate. Sometimes our glee can have a cumulative effect till we’re literally crying with joy – and studies show that tears, whether happy or sad, may reduce symptoms of stress.
Here’s another joke that seems very serious in the beginning. But don’t stop until you read the final sentence. A man once spent days looking for his new hat. Finally, he decided that he’d go to church and sit at the back. During the service, he would sneak out and grab a hat from the rack at the front door.
That Sunday, he went to church and sat at the back. The sermon was about the Ten Commandments. He sat through the whole sermon and instead of sneaking out he waited until the sermon was over and went to talk to the minister.
“Father, I came here today to steal a hat to replace the one I lost,” he told him. “But after hearing your sermon on the Ten Commandments, I changed my mind.”
The minister replied, “Bless you my son. Was it when I started to preach ‘Thou shall not steal,’ that changed your heart?” The man responded, “No, it was the one on adultery. When you started to preach on that, I remembered where I left my hat!”
“Carry laughter with you wherever you go,” Hugh Sidey once said. Well, at one time, while riding a jeepney, a note posted at the driver’s back set announced, “Before pay, please tell where get the on, before get the off.” Understand?
If you think Filipinos are creative enough when it comes to slogans, consider these from the United States. Advertisement in a Long Island shop: “Guitar for sale: cheap, no strings attached.” This one was seen on a bulletin board: “Success is relative. The more successful you are, the more relatives you have.”
“A laugh is a smile that bursts,” commented Mary H. Waldrip. And even if you’re dead already, you can still make a lot of people laugh. Read the following tombstones and laugh dying. In a cemetery in Ruidoso, New Mexico: “Here lies Johnny Yeast… Pardon me for not rising.”
A lawyer’s epitaph in England: “Sir John Strange. Here lies an honest lawyer, and that is Strange.” Still in England: “Remember man, as you walk by, / As you are now, so once was I / As I am now, so shall you be. / Remember this and follow me.” To which someone replied by writing on the tombstone: “To follow you I’ll not consent / Until I know which way you went.”
By the way, a study of laughter from Aberdeen University in Scotland found people who cackle love others’ misfortune; howlers are often mentally ill; snorters are prone to feelings of superiority; sniggers are immature and insensitive; belly-laughers are trustworthy and friendly; chucklers are kind but introspective; and gigglers are sexual and flirtatious.
“A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book,” an Irish proverb reminds.
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