Laughing At It All
Photographed by Austin Hargrave
The great joke of life is that we’re all going to die never really knowing what the point of any of it was. It’s a raw deal we don’t get to choose when or where we’re born (or to whom), similarly to the inevitable death we will face without choice or preference. As bleak as this perception may be, life can be breathtaking, memorable and joyful against the tough times, sadness and pain. One large antidote to not only surviving life’s peaks and valleys but to genuinely thrive, is humor.
A former mentor of mine once told me, “Never take yourself seriously, only what you do.” And it radically expanded my understanding on what could be found funny and made fun of. It also revealed why I couldn’t laugh at myself and frequently got defensive. For a time, there was a threshold, a line, that I formerly believed existed to what could be laughed at; In which humor only served as a social mechanism for acceptance or fortification. Little did I know how it sorely limited my mental and emotional growth…my ability to evolve.
The single most influential joke I have ever heard was, The Aristocrats.
I can remember my obsession over The Aristocrats joke when discovering it was the longest running, taboo-driven secret among comedians years ago. It floored me. I immediately grew a deep appreciation for what comedians did: Wrestle out laughs from the darkest most shameful corners of humanity. Their ability to do that—the art form—is like a superpower. I had no idea that laughing at the joke’s unbridled perversion and morbidity would turn into one of the most profound moments in my life. Everything changed. I was liberated. Not long after, I began finding everything funny, beginning with myself.
If things are only funny when it’s not about you, it may be a hint you’re lacking necessary evolution.
Ricky Gervais produced and starred in an original show on Netflix called, Afterlife. The show is about a deeply depressed man contemplating suicide ever since losing his wife to cancer. In the show, the protagonist genuinely believes there’s no point to living without the love of his life. I’m no professional critic, but I found Afterlife heartfelt, hilarious, dark and honest. The context was both abrasive and sincere. Whether you’ve watched it or not, the struggle over “What’s the point of living?” is one we’ve all experienced to various degrees, if we’re truly open with ourselves.
Afterlife pushes humor into an area typically considered a non-laughing matter. However, I find myself asking, what isn’t a laughing matter? We all experience life’s emotional buffet of chaos, then die. What difference does it make laughing at everything along the way? Really, what could we gain or lose with unrestricted laughter? It so happens an enormous number of benefits await those who laugh, and laugh often.
Multiple health reports (easily accessible online) state that the benefits of laughter include: Lowered blood pressure, reduced anxiety, functions as an anti-depressant, boosts the immune system, supports cardiovascular health, and burns calories, among a host of other things. It’s fascinating how most people find laughter contagious, and medical professionals consider it the best kind of addiction (or medicine).
People who laugh often, who find the humor in life, statistically live longer and healthier. Those who don’t, experience the opposite.
Laughing contains an impressive list of benefits, but past these lies something more extraordinary: Transformative proficiency. Discovering humor in things requires advanced functionality in the brain. The kind that directly affects proficiency and perception. Scientists are still grappling with the complexities of what happens cognitively when we laugh but its result are extraordinary and invaluable. Laughing improves our success rate, relationships, communication skills, our ability to problem solve, and quality of life. Its positivity is incredibly influential too. Seriously, there are no downsides to humor.
Humor remains mysterious, one of the strangest occurrences yet pleasures in life. But can it be the final unravel in what’s keeping us from incredible living?
Ricky Gervais’ standup, Super Nature, elevates the philosophy and art form of comedy to its purest design. Amidst ever-increasing social anxieties, economic struggles, rising health concerns, and political differences plaguing the world around, humor once again proves to be the remedy we need. It was absolutely refreshing and alleviating to hear so many people laughing at themselves, the times we’re in, and how incapable we usually are at life. Comedic therapy is a remarkable cure. And we can freely uncork this ability within ourselves. Like, seriously, have a laugh.
You may never discover your purpose in life, the significance in what you do, or even in who you are, but laughing all the way may very well make it everything worthwhile. After all, the jokes on us.