- Come on, loosen up and laugh.
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It doesn't seem long ago that I would hear someone in the office start the day off with, "Hey, did you hear the one about..." I don't think too many people tell jokes anymore either because we have plugged into some device and tuned out the world, or because we are too sensitive to political correctness.
According to Helpguide.org, an independent publication aimed at mental and emotional health, laughter is strong medicine. It boosts immunity, lowers stress hormones, decreases pain, relaxes your muscles, and prevents heart disease. It also adds joy and zest to life, eases anxiety and tension, improves mood, strengthens relationships with others, enhances teamwork, and more. In other words, we need to laugh, but we don't seem to do enough of it lately, particularly in the office where we really need it.
I tend to see humor as a reflection of our moral values; what is considered risque is usually based on some moral taboo. Take comedians Buddy Hackett and Don Rickles for example; Hackett told some rather bawdy jokes that could make some people blush, as did Joan Rivers, and Rickles would make fun of your race, age, weight, language, IQ, etc. Everybody used to love these people and it would be Standing Room Only in Las Vegas to see them. Such comedy though is gone, and nobody would dare try to replicate their acts today as they would be perceived as racists, anti-feminists, and just plain crass.
Consider how Saturday Night Live has changed over the years. Whereas they were originally known for some imaginative avant garde humor that was hilarious, now it is nothing more than cheap political jokes. Late Night Talk Shows are no different.
As a kid, I loved the Sunday funnies and read every strip. But the funnies aren't too funny anymore and the creativity of a Charles Schultz, Walt Kelly, Al Capp, Gary Larson, and Bill Watterson is long gone.
More than anything, I miss hearing a good joke. Today, when I visit one of the non-profit groups I belong to, the younger members will ask me to tell some of the jokes I heard from my travels through the corporate world. They may be ancient to me, some as old as 40 years, but in today's society where jokes are generally frowned upon, they are new to the next generation and they love it.
Let me see if I can give you an example, this is one I heard from a neighbor years ago (I have to clean it up a little):
One day, an elementary school teacher was trying to teach some lessons of morality. She asked the class, "Can anyone tell me a story which leads to a moral lesson?"
Little Betsy raised her hand and said, "I can teacher. Not long ago I was visiting my grandparents' farm in the country. They asked me to collect the eggs in the hen house and bring them inside. I collected all of them and put them in a basket. However, I accidentally tripped and dropped the basket, breaking all of the eggs in the process."
"And what was the lesson learned there?" the teacher asked.
"Don't put all your eggs in one basket," Betsy replied.
"That's very good Betsy, that is the type of story I'm looking for. Is there anyone else?"
Little Sally raised her hand and said, "I have somewhat of a similar story. I was visiting a friend recently who had an incubator with twelve chicken eggs in it. We watched in amazement as they all began to hatch. Unfortunately, my friend tripped over the power cord causing the incubator to turn over, break the eggs, and kill all of the chickens."
"And what was the lesson learned there?" the teacher asked.
"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Sally said.
"Very good. Has anyone else got a story with a moral they would like to share?"
"I do teacher," little Eddie said as he waved his hand. "My Uncle John was a pilot in Viet Nam during the war. One day he was flying a cargo mission and was shot down by the North Vietnamese. He crash landed in the jungle, and was only able to save his M60 machine gun, a machete, and a case of beer stored on the aircraft. He hid out in the jungle hoping a chopper would pick him up. After he had finished drinking all of the beer, he was discovered by the Viet Cong who attacked him. In defense, he took out his M60 and killed fifty of them. When he ran out of bullets, he used his machete to kill fifteen more, and when his blade broke, he killed five more with his bare hands."
The teacher looked ashen at little Eddie reeling from his tale. She stammered, "And what...what...what is the moral of that story?" she asked.
"You don't screw with my Uncle John when he's drunk."
Yea, I know, the joke is not politically correct and appears to be insensitive to life, but it has also resulted in gales of laughter both yesterday and today. It also illustrates how our sense of humor has changed.
Frankly, we need to loosen up a bit and quit taking ourselves too seriously.
Fortunately, there are still some sources of humor, but you have to sniff them out. Here are some different video segments and television commercials I have enjoyed over the last few years. I am sure most are now considered politically incorrect.
As Larry the Cable Guy would say, "I'm sorry, but that's just plain funny."
Come on, snap out of it and LAUGH!
Keep the Faith!
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Tim Bryce is a writer and the Managing Director of M&JB Investment Company (M&JB) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 40 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at timb001@phmainstreet.com
For Tim's columns, see: timbryce.com
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