I have been pondering something of late.
As you may have noticed – unless you are working on your enlightenment in the nearest mountain cave – the world is a little bit bonkers at the moment.
And to be a little more specific, sad as it is, all of us have probably personally be touched by, or clearly noticed a rise in the number of people with (to generalise) “mental health” issues or challenges.
I just did a quick search online and the estimated number of people with a mental ‘disorder’ globally, in 2019 was about 1 in 9.
Which, to tell the truth, was higher than I thought it would be.
And there are several reports of that number going up significantly from 2020-2023, due to a world event (and periphery events) we are all familiar with.
So, without getting into too much more doom and gloom, we can all acknowledge that there are a lot of people having significant challenges with life in this modern age.
The second part, to set the context of the brief conversation I want to have with you, is over the last 20-years of so, there has been so much pressure on what we can and can’t say about one another, or to one another.
This has even had an impact on what is deemed appropriate for comedians to make “jokes” about.
Anyway, my point is this…
Wet, cold, hungry and tired
Let’s change courses for a bit, and head into the jungle region of South East Queensland (Australia).
To a particularly knarly spot, originally called the Land Headquarters Training Centre (Jungle Warfare).
It was 1988 (I believe), and we were Officer Cadets in the Army, doing a jungle warfare exercise.
Navigating through the jungle was intense, stifling, tiring (especially extracting yourself from overly friendly vines), and that did not even include the leeches who seemed to lurch for you whenever you stopped for a breather.
Or the fact that you could not see your hand in front of you at night.
And THEN there was the rain that bucketed down, and continued to drip unabated for the next few days, leaving a muddy quagmire in its wake.
In summary…it was a sh#t-hole.
But you know what?
The thing most able to get you through this unpleasant experience – aside from physical fitness and mental grit – was having a good SENSE OF HUMOUR.
To laugh in the face of adversity, or challenge, or hardship, is the thing that interrupts a downward spiral of misery.
Have you ever been wound so tightly, and then the dam burst when you recognize the absurdity of the thing you are facing, and maybe the recognition of your inability to actually change it, and you laughed your pants off?
And after you stopped laughing, and dried your eyes, the “thing” you thought was SOOOOOO bad was lessened from a lion-like problem, to a pesky rat-like problem.
It was still there – sort of – but no longer has the debilitating strangle hold on you.
The POWER of laughter.
You know. I know it. We all know it.
The theory I have been pondering
So here is the crux my most recent pondering.
Has a world, that is more “politically-correct” and uptight about what you can say or not (even of it is true), made it harder for humour and therefore laughter to unfold?
Of course we want compassion and empathy with others to be a part of the Virtues we live by.
But I think, we (as a people – especially in “developed countries”) have lost a bit of our sense of humour.
Being able to laugh at the nonsensical.
Making fun of someone being stupid.
Making fun of someone in a position of “authority”.
In the military, as an officer, as much as the “Platoon joker”, was a pain-in-the-butt at times, you knew they were essential for morale when it came to dealing with adversity.
They would be the one to crack the ridiculous (and generally very UN-politically correct) gag that would have everyone laughing, and break the tension.
A sense of humour is not only important for navigating tough stuff, in my opinion it is ESSENTIAL.
It is like that old saying: “I can either laugh at it or cry”.
And quite often that is a personal choice.
The main point
My point being; a sense of humour is extremely important for the anti-fragility of our mental health, and is not helped by extreme or excessive rules and regulations on what we can and cannot say.
Walking on eggshells does not encourage impromptu and authentic humour or wit.
And my hypothesis is whether a societal influence on what “P’s” & “Q’s” we can say, has increased our general level of ‘seriousness’, and lowered our general sense of humour, thus having a potential influence on our mental health; since we have less easy access to the release valve humour provides.
Regardless of whether my hypothesis on contributing causes is in any way close to the mark, I am certain from personal and professional experience that having a good sense of humour is highly beneficial when operating in uncertain situations and times.
In Summary
Quite often it is laughter that is the thing which comes after you reach a breaking point – you either laugh or cry.
Laughing reduces feelings of despair you may experience, because it triggers a different bio-chemical and neurological response in the brain and body.
Being overly “PC” can/may restrict the fertile soil for the soothing nature of humour to be expressed.
Laughter is one of the best tonics for more effectively dealing with adversity, uncertainty, and internal doubts.
My Parting Words
I do ponder often.
As I am sure you have figured out.
And this thought would not let go of me last week.
Is there any relationship between sense of humour, political correctness (and woke-ness), and our access to anti-fragility when it comes to adversity?
I know from being in the military (which included being the “class clown” at times), that having a good sense of humour was essential to make it through the physical and psychological elements of the profession.
And I think the same can be said for any of the emergency services (police, fire fighters, first responders, and the likes).
I caught up with a Pommie mate the other week who is a police officer in England, who I hadn’t seen for ages.
He has a wicked and whacky sense of humour, and I am sure it has helped him deal with all sorts of ugly stuff over his 20+ years in the force.
Do we need to tune up our own sense of humour – and take ourselves less seriously – if we want to maintain optimum levels of mental health?
And also – I chuckle as I write this – do we need to hang out with our friend with the “inappropriate” sense of humour a little more, to see the lighter side of life?
I have to admit, I do love catching up with my army buddies (and my siblings), where you can goof off, crack bad gags, and drop F-bombs, and then walk away feeling lighter on your feet and less heavy in the heart.
What is your humour relief?
And then, are you getting enough?
Have a superb day, and maybe a week of testing chuckling at the absurdity of your greatest life challenge.
Take care.
Carl
Quotable QUOTE:
“Laughter is one of the best tonics for more effectively dealing with adversity, uncertainty, and internal doubts.” Carl Massy
(Author of 18 Ways We Make Life WAY Harder Than It Needs To Be)
PS: Have you read or listened to this book yet? 18 Ways We Make Life WAY Harder Than It Needs To Be
