Megan House (The Beacon)
By Megan House, Guest Commentary
Humor has a transformative power unlike anything else. Some say that humor is tragedy plus time. While I would argue that not all humor requires tragedy to succeed, one reason that humor resonates so fully with us is its transformative power over tragedy. Humor also has the power to bond us. It can bring us together despite our differences, through moments of absurdity, awkwardness and even pain, and there is no more delightful a social act than to laugh.
To share a laugh with someone is to experience instant and profound empathy with them. It is a communication of delight and understanding. Humor can, therefore, serve as a bond betwixt people from widely varying perspectives. Nowhere is this more remarkable than in the connection that humor can bridge between the innocent, untainted worldview of a child and that of a much wiser, if more jaded, adult. There is truly something incredibly special about humor that can simultaneously appeal to the young and the old. Through it, children can be taught important lessons and values, and adults can find an understanding of how children view the world.
Even day-to-day, this kind of humor has the power to transform. Thinking about the sheer distance between my childhood self and my present self seems monumental; so much about me is different and yet I can always go back to books, movies and jokes from my childhood that I still find genuinely funny. Whether it's absurd, pointed and/or intentionally didactic, this humor has something to teach both parties about the other's perspective. When I get overwhelmed by papers, deadlines, rent, feeding myself and jumping through all these new hoops leading me to "adulthood," I find it really refreshing to use this kind of humor to center myself and bring me back to the simple joys and truths of life. Sometimes you just need to watch a little Mike Wazowski to be reminded that sometimes we have incredibly irrational societal fears and get some good giggles in the process. Or sometimes I need to read a book about a crazy little cat who thinks he is a Chihuahua to remember that even standing still, I can have a great adventure if I'm imaginative enough.
In order to celebrate what I think is an exceptionally powerful type of humor, I would like to invite you to join me to Throw Back(Your Head and Laugh) Thursday, April 18 at 7 p.m. in Shiley 101. Bring a book, a note, a song, a story, a YouTube clip, your favorite knock-knock joke or terrible pun, or anything else that you found humorous in childhood or have enjoyed with a child (or child-like person!) in your life and laugh off your pre-finals stress!
Megan House a recipient of the Brian Doyle Scholarship of Gentle and Sidelong Humor. If you have ideas about how to celebrate humor on the UP campus, applications for this scholarship are being accepted now until May 1. -Brian Doyle
Megan House is a senior social work major. She can be reached at house13@up.edu.
