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Quite some time ago, I watched a documentary entitled 'The History of Joke'. It was basically a documentary on how humour has evolved since the dawn of civilisation. From the jesters of medieval ages to the stand-up comedians we have today, the art of comedy has come quite a long way indeed.

Despite the ways humour has morphed and transformed, the one end in mind is almost always invariable. Its aim is to make you laugh. Laughter, however, is only the reaction. To put it in another way, laughter is a manifestation of an emotion. Happiness or euphoria happens to be this emotion. Your id builds up happiness through responding to a series of scenarios that stimulate the brain's emotive section. When happiness reaches its climax, it is released as laughter. Of course, laughter in true effect does not work so methodically. It is very spontaneous and instantaneous. As such, you do not notice the processes that trigger laughter.


Putting the neuroscience aside, laughter, as we know it, is something pleasurable. As a result, we are inclined towards the experience of humour. As paraphrased from 'The History of Joke', laughter is something you express when you are unable to put into words the feelings you feel. Very much like crying. When the sadness becomes unbearable or indescribable, you tear.


Going into the technicalities of laughter itself seem highly unreliable for I personally am bereft of the necessary expertise. What I am looking to discuss is humour. Probing into the cause rather than the effect.

Having said all that, I must clarify that humour is decidedly subjective. As an inexperienced being on Earth, I dare not exclaim what is considered humour definitively.


So let us begin.


First and foremost, what is funny depends very much on the circumstance and the atmosphere. That is why people do not crack up during a funeral because that means disrespect. Even if some dullard springs out and ejaculates 'I'm Indian and I'm gay!', you are supposed to stifle your laughter. Hang on. No. That thought should not even cross your mind. You may be thinking, 'Who the hell knows?' But, it is the thought that counts, if you know what I mean. I am being exaggerated over here, but you and I know that once in a blue moon some freak accident is going to happen and tickle your funny bone at the most inopportune moment. Then you have to bite the bullet and start hacking at your own neck to prevent your vocal chords from producing nary a snigger. Jigsaw fashion.

Hence, as a matter of fact, laughter has become a sort of moral volition instead of an instinctive behaviour. Maybe 'moral volition' sounds a tad too severe. However, one cannot deny that humour has metastasised into a complex issue. It is no longer a matter of 'funny' or 'boring'. There are too many considerations and consequneces at stake. I say these possibly because I have not worked in the society and thus, I may not comprehend the profound impact of social etiquette and behaviour yet.

Regardless of those, I believe that people still lack a 'primitive' side, so to speak. They are too uptight. They are constantly in distress, worrying over how they appear to others or whether they are offending someone. They cannot allow themselves to just let out a burst of laughter, right from the heart and soul. They become devoid of joy. They laugh because they want to conform. They laugh because it is a form of geniality. They laugh because it is right. They laugh because it is wrong. They laugh because they do not know if it is right or wrong. Actually, there is no right or wrong. It is not a sin to laugh. Just laugh. The only condition is to laugh genuinely. Laugh heartily. No longer is there a need to laugh at a joke to reward a person for his effort. If it is not funny, do not laugh. If you have the guts, tell him so. Stop laughing at anything and everything, unless you really mean it.

This is not about socialising. If you think so, you already missed the point. This is about being you. Stop sporting a mask like everyone else. Make yourself detest the peals of faux laughter. Only then will you nurture authentic interaction and communication.

And do not worry about laughing at someone's misfortune or plight. When you are able to laugh genuinely, you will not commit such evils. That is because you have shed the facade. You display extraodinary gumption in being willing to unfurl yourself. That, in itself, is meritorious. By filling your laughter with heart and veracity, you have attained that intimacy with your true self. Therefore, how will one, who envelopes the purity of the soul, bow down to such rotten behaviour?

Alas, I sincerely exhort you to laugh by your own free will. Curb the epidemic of faux laughter before it is too late. There is a dearth of mirth right now. Do not let it turn into the death of mirth.