Humour plays a double-edged role in our lives. It can nurture
our soul and can also damage it. Yet if used prudently and at opportune moments,
it can have a lasting impact on our lives.
Firstly, it can be used to convey profound realities of life
in a very subtle way. This makes people not only appreciate them more deeply but
also instils in them an urge to play their role in them. Thus, artists and
authors use various art-forms like drama, plays, poetry and prose to express it
and educate people.
Secondly, in everyday interaction with our close relatives
and friends, we can communicate our grievances and concerns in an indirect way.
Humour tones down their intensity while at the same time induces the other
person to reflect on them. This style also does not attack the ego of that
person and simultaneously provides us with an opportunity to vent our emotions.
Thirdly, refined humour is a means of great relaxation and
entertainment. In the stress-laden world of today, people need to relax and
forget worries that plague them. Reading or listening to humour or watching
humourous enactments provides sweet leisure and enchanting pleasure. In this
way, people are also shielded from unhealthy and spiritually damaging means of
entertainment.
Fourthly, it is a means of uniting people and bringing them
together. The bond of humanity is always in need of being strengthened and
bolstered through various ways. One of them is to invoke common interests and
emotions. Appreciating good humour is a trait found in almost all human beings.
If they laugh together and enjoy themselves as a group, they feel close to one
another by sharing the same feelings.
Fifthly, humour endears a person to others. People who have a
good sense of humour are able to influence others in a very potent way. It is an
indispensable trait for community leaders and those in very responsible
positions. It contributes to their charisma and charm. They inspire and motivate
people in a profound way.
One caution that must always be exercised in humour is that
it should never become derogatory or damage the self-esteem of people. This can
easily be the case if one is not careful in choosing words. The wound of the
tongue is deeper than that of the sword. This must always be remembered.
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