The Importance of Humour in One’s Life!
Am sure all of us have read so many of these best sellers which help/guide you on how to win friends and become successful in life. Some of us have been lucky enough to be imparted with this knowledge from within your close-knit circle. I believe that I luckily fall into the second category.
Life is equally easy and strenuous to one and all. Life does not discriminate on the basis of gender, color, geography, religion, etc. So then how is it that one’s life is very different, in terms of how strenuous it is, from that of the other. It definitely is a result of the way we handle life, or rather the way we respond to various tests life throws at us. Right from our birth life continuously throws such tests at us. Based on how one responds to each such test the next one would be thrown at you, and so on. So is there a secret sauce to handle these tests? The answer to that question is a BIG YES, one that would spice up the dish of your life!
We tend to underestimate this most freely available and important aspect in our lives, HUMOUR. Some of us are lucky enough to be born with this skill, and others can surely adopt and adapt it and make our journey truly enjoyable. Humour is, the one thing, which is enjoyed by all, irrespective of age, gender, profession, geography, etc. If there is one thing that can bind us all together, it is not money, not climate change, not war, not jobs, it is HUMOUR, something which can always generate a positive and happy environment around you. I can tell you from my humble experiences with life that even the most difficult situations in our lives can be handled with ease if we are armoured with a humourous mind and disposition. Imagine how enjoyable and happy the world would be if all of us decide to contribute our bit in terms of humour.
All those who are lucky to have this positive trait should spread it liberally and contribute to world happiness. But unfortunately this is not an in-born trait in a huge majority of us. So what do we do to ensure that humour is a part and parcel of our everyday lives. We should start by adding humour within our family, and then extend it towards the society outside. The more it spreads the wider will be the reach of positive and happy feelings for all concerned. This information was not imparted to me by a best seller or a saint spreading the message of humour. Instead it came to me from my family. Luckily, I was born into a family where humour was always given utmost importance. Be it my parents, my uncles, my aunts or my cousins, humour has been an integral part of all our lives. My relatives ensured that any conversation that we had during our get-togethers was interlaced with humour. I am not foolish enough to say that there is no generation gap in our family. There definitely is, but the same is forgotten and buried deep under when members of our family get together. Every member of our family always had the right to target any other if the end result was a light-hearted moment that would bring smiles to the faces around. Since every member of our family grew up seeing and enjoying this there was not an iota of misunderstanding or ill-feeling when one got targeted for the same.
In this context I would like to specifically mention three individuals who have influenced me in terms of the importance of humour in my life. They are very different in terms of their styles of presenting humour, but the impact that all three of them have had on me is huge.
1. My Father — If you ask me he is a master of a very difficult style of humour called Self Mockery. To produce humour at one’s own expense is very difficult and to do it continuously for years is an exceptional talent. I have grown up seeing my father do this without a tad of ego undermining the power of his humour. For the same reason any family get-togethers that we have he is at the epi-center of it spreading that positive vibe all across. With this amazing skill called Self Mockery, many a time I have seen him bring smiles even on the faces of relatives who otherwise believed sulking and brooding is as important as breathing. Ego is something which never goes hand in hand with Self Mockery. So you master this skill you also master the art of overcoming your ego.
2. My Vellyachan (means Father’s elder brother in my mother tongue Malayalam) — Intellectual Humour is his forte. He is the complete opposite of my father. Don’t expect back to back jokes from him and never expect him to be profoundly at the center of a gathering. He is the kind who comes up with some of the most hilarious one liners, which not all might understand, but those who get to the heart of his jokes, trust me won’t need too many of those to just laugh their heart out. When it comes to building rapport with your professors, business associates, potential customers, employees, etc., his kind of humour has helped me a lot. With this skill you win their hearts with long-lasting impacts, and that too without losing your stature.
3. My Uncle (my Father’s first cousin) — For whatever reason it was not too often that I had interacted with him during my school days. But right from my college days I happened to meet him more often. These meetings had a great impact on me, as he was the one who taught me the art called Reactive Humour. While both by father and vellyachan were masters of pro-active humour in their own ways, this uncle of mine taught me this amazing skill called reactive humour. To develop this skill one needs to be a keen observant and the timing needs to be perfect. As the name suggests, here you are reacting to someone or something that has happened in front of you with a humourous riposte. For the same reason observation and timing are key to master this skill.
I am still a novice when compared to the above mentioned three individuals and many like them who have mastered the art of producing and spreading humour. But my two cents to all of you would be to think twice before you decide to sulk or brood next time. Life is very simple and let’s keep it that way. Let us smile, laugh and spread happiness with a little, or rather with lots of, humour!