OPINION
The Human Race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter’.
– Mark Twain
The Bay of Plenty BFD group met recently for dinner together with interesting speakers. New Zealand has been through ARDUOUS (or some say ADERNOUS) years that have been horrendous. It has affected Kiwis personally and the country as a whole. These past six long years have been fraught with stress, anger, division, illness and frustration. While incredibly supportive and sometimes with tears, towards the end of the evening a group began laughing at the absurdity of the reign of Ardern. While we acknowledged that many issues remain, people were cracking up with hilarious comments. Others wanted to pull up their chairs to join in the fun and share in the jokes. It is infectious. Even in short bursts, letting off steam is good for you.
In an article by Heather S. S Lonczak 8 July 20, Martin and Ford, (2018) describe three theories of humour: https://positivepsychology.com/humor-psychology/
One of their theories reads.
The authors described this as akin to a hydraulic engine, with laughter serving the function of a steam pipe pressure valve. This way, pent-up pressure is relieved through laughter. More specifically, the muscular and respiratory processes involved in laughter serve the important role of releasing pent-up nervous energy.
Later in the article, the author has a brief look at dark humour in the most harrowing of circumstances during the war.
Ostrower (2015, p. 184) describes humour coping within this context as a defence mechanism that “under the nightmare circumstances of living in the ghettos and camps during the Holocaust, laughter was a form of rebellion against reality. Humour was the weapon of those whose lives were utterly in the hands of the executioners, those who were powerless to rebel or resist in any other way.”
The Biblical proverb 17:22,
A merry heart does good, like medicine,
But a broken spirit dries the bones.
Our sump host always graciously directs parking our cars at his place as we all drive in. He’s always out there even in the rain with our potluck dishes. He has a selection of Trump hats which we love! This time he wore, the one in the middle, his new one – the one his very astute son-in-law bought him. Orange hair and a 2024 prediction. We started laughing as we arrived, and some went home with aching belly muscles from laughing so much.
Take that Ardern.
