Humor Definition Essay

So there I was. Out on the elementary school playground playing on those cheap, rusty, disgusting, unsafe swings that the school provided doing whatever it is a 5-year-old does on cheap, rusty, disgusting, unsafe swings. Then, without any warning, I was suddenly attacked from behind and thrown off the swings aggressively. And as I slowly turned around I found myself staring apprehensively into the legs of my fearless opponent. 6’9’’ 865 lbs. Bulging biceps the size of Titanic’s budget. Anyway, there she was getting ready to continue her vicious assault. And as I gazed up into Big Bertha’s monstrous eyes, it felt as if she were Godzilla and I was one of those little tiny Japanese business-women hopelessly awaiting my fate. So what did I do?

However, we often fail to realize that humor is a double-edge sword. It can cut us down and leave us painfully scarred or it can be used to protect, encourage, and uplift our spirits. According to the August 1993 issue of Psychology Today, humor, like electricity, comes in two forms, positive and negative. What a shock. You see, on the one hand, we often use humor for the wrong reasons. But on the other hand, sometimes human condition requires a little levy. Isn’t it funny that for centuries humor has been an elixir of sorts, helping to alleviate many problems that we face. There has always been a comedian in every group. For every king, there is a joker. For every class, there’s a clown. For every French television set, there’s a Jerry Lewis. And for every government, there’s a Lewinski. Yes, we have certainly had our share of funny and in most cases harmless comedians. Humor seems to permeate life, helping us cope with situations. You want to make friends? Use humor. You want to have a good job interview? Use humor. You want to lose 10 pounds in just 30 days? Use Jenny Craig. But hey, that’s one of the only exceptions. Nowadays almost every discussion that we have seems to be seasoned with jokes. The use of jokes seems to delay stressful situations and provide us with a positive outlook on life. So yes, humor can be a good thing. But it has also so often been the source of pain, negativity, and

Heck, the slogan of our lives really seems to be ‘laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry alone.’ However, we must infer all those wonderful emotions that color our lives. For although humor is a key element in our well-being, we must not forget that a sword is made up of more than just its blade. Consequently, humor and sadness seems to be interrelated. As the great Roger Marks once said, “If I didn’t know sadness, I wouldn’t have spent my whole life trying to make people laugh.” We must follow in the footsteps of Julia Sweeney, and the many others like her, who have managed to use humor during times of