Is Humor Necessary in Life?
No, It is not . . . It's Vital!
Is humor necessary in life? No, it's not. It is vital. Let me explain. I was driving down the road with a good friend of mine. As we drove past a vast field with large trees in the center, I saw a few sheep chewing away at the grass. My friend instantly grabbed my attention, "Do you see that tree over there?" he said. I replied quickly, "What tree? there's several." Before I had even finished asking, he said, "That one over there, the big one." There was a large oak tree right in the center of the field. As I continued to drive, he said, "I had my first bit of sex by that tree." "No way, for real?" I said in a somewhat skeptical tone. "No, it's true . . . and you see that other tree just behind it," pointing his finger toward a smaller yew tree. I started to slow down slightly as I looked for the trees. He shocked me when he immediately said, "Her mother was behind that one." "No freakin' way; what did she say?" I asked with a worried brow. His immediate response was, "Baaah."
I worked for a man many years ago who had a similar delivery. As I walked into the office one Monday morning, I spotted him walking toward me. "Good morning," I yelled at him. He came across and said, "Hey Steve, just wanted to let you know . . . of all the people in the world, you're one of them." Before I could even laugh, he continued, "I said to Tony this morning that Steve was not fit to eat with the pigs . . . and he said you were."
I love that kind of humor. Until I left England twenty-five years ago, I constantly heard that sort of humor. Not so since being in the USA. There have been many occasions when I cried with laughter, and to my surprise, my American friends could not figure out why I was laughing. Even my droll favorite sayings seem to get a different reaction. My favorite is, 'See a penny and pick it up, and all day long, you'll have a penny." Everybody in Utah groans or states that is not what the saying actually says. British humor doesn't always travel well over the pond, where Yankees dislike spending time trying to figure out why something is funny.
My favorite British comedians are Billy Connolly (from Scotland), "A mate of mine has just told me he's shagging his girlfriend and her twin. I said, how can you tell them apart? He said, 'her brother's got a mustache!'" The hilarious but stoic Rowan Atkinson (More famous for Mr. Bean, but hilarious as Black Adder, and as a vicar reading from the bible.)
And, of course, Ricky Gervais, "Remember, when you are dead, you do not know you are dead. It is only painful for others. The same applies when you are stupid." Another example is, "Remember, if you don't sin, then Jesus died for nothing." They have, in common, their ridicule of religion; if you have the opportunity take a look on YouTube.
Peter Kay, in common with the others, does not tell jokes. He talks about life. In his Mancunian accent, he asks, "Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?" Similarly, "A sandwich walks into a bar. The barman says, 'Sorry, we don't serve food in here.'"
For my American friends, I have to add Bill Burr to my favorites list, as well as the hilarious rantings of Lewis Black. So again, is humor necessary? Just as some parts of your body are nice to have, such as ears and eyes, other organs are vital, such as your brain and heart. Likewise, certain activities are pleasant, such as golf or tennis. But I would suggest that humor is, like your heart, absolutely vital in your daily life. Even the great Samuel Clemens himself pointed out, "Humor is mankind's greatest blessing." — Mark Twain, a Biography
