Last update: June 14, 2017
A sense of humor and a smile help us make our problems less tragic. Nonetheless, since in various situations it is not well seen laughing and, in general, society teaches us to constantly worry about everything, choosing to take life with joy has taken a back seat.
The tragedies we see on the news every day show us a reality in which negativity has taken on a leading role. Furthermore, the complaints of the people around us, spoken aloud, make us question whether life is fair or unfair.
We soak up all of this to the point of to be conditioned by an adverse view of our existence and we also end up complaining about a glass that breaks or a shop that closes too early. They definitely don't want to work!
Concern seen as a show of respect
Taking life with humor is incompatible with a culture where worry is a form of respect. It is true that joking about death or misfortune is, in a sense, a lack of consideration for others. Nevertheless, it is sometimes good to see the positive side of negative events; events will happen just the same, however we decide to see the situation. We explain ourselves better through a short example.
Fernando was 32 years old when he was unemployed. He worked as an accountant for a company, which suffered the consequences of the crisis and had to cut back on staff. Everyone was sorry for Fernando, they tried to cheer him up, to give him hope, but with a veil of sadness and resignation on his face.
Fernando didn't care. He had lost his job, it is true, but he saw in this a great opportunity to invest and set up his company and to throw yourself headlong into new projects. In fact, he was always smiling, which many members of his family didn't seem to like, saying, “how can you be so happy and carefree if you've just lost your job! You do not care?".
We live in a world where constant complaining is normal and those who do not are judged for this. For example, have you not wondered how a person could feel well after only one week of losing her husband or ending her relationship?
Taking life too seriously leads us to dramatize too much situations that have an easy solution. Obviously, every circumstance is different, but if we know how to smile and look to the future with optimism, everything will be better and the much-hoped-for opportunities will present themselves.
You choose how to face life, whether as a tragedy or as a comedy
Dealing with life with humor does not involve laughing at everything that happens to others or taking lightly the complicated situations that arise. No, taking life with humor means not falling into victimhood, leaving the tunnel of negative thoughts and stop complaining, taking action.
How many times have we made the mistake of saying that everything that happens to us is the product of an adverse fate? So we can stay calm and do nothing. There is still a long way to go before accept everything that happens to us and over which we have no control, in the same way that we must not neglect that part on which we can intervene.
Learning to laugh at tragic or painful situations we've been through means being resilient. This does not mean that our pain is less, but that we have at our disposal a valid tool to stifle it: our humor. Finding the strength to lift your head and smile at life, despite the fact that it has dealt you numerous blows.
Moving forward is not possible if we continue to dig into the pit we fell into. What is the point of feeding an emotion with a negative value in order to transform it into a state of mind? This prevents us from moving forward, from realizing how strong we are and that we have valid and sufficient resources to deal with situations that strain our will.
Bringing a little more humor to our perspective shouldn't be an option, but a way to exist. Because we continually forget that humor makes us better every day, drives out the nervousness from the same door from which it entered and allows any wound in our soul to heal. Furthermore, it allows us to infect our happiness.
We are aware that the smile and the endorphins walk hand in hand. Nonetheless, we reject this natural analgesic which has the power to bring us well-being where before there was only sadness. Isn't it time to say goodbye to tragedies?
