Moment of Magic
Laughter may or may not be a shock, relieved, but its' therapeutic effects are recognised in most cultures. It allows a positive distractive moment or moments. When things are tough, rough, overbearing or endless, a quick laugh can help to transcend an obsessive reality.
Where could the harm lie?
Where the outcome is refreshment, where is the loss? A few moments of production lost to relaxation, perhaps, couldn't be considered a waste.
When a busy life is led, how could such a short reprieve be such a long loss?
It is an area of philosophy for those who like to compartmentalise, and an area of spiritualism, such is its' power, to some who don't need to put it anywhere.
Children are encouraged to participate in laughter, by adults, who often forget the reason for it. Why is it encouraged, if unnecessary? Perhaps it is a social tool and a tool to project hope. Hope, which is spiritualism, must go some way in forgetting the immediate, and sometimes the immediate, needs to be forgotten.
It is probably true that most people obsess, almost to the point of mental paralysis, with no major benefits. Obsession and focus can get many things accomplished, and also leave many things forgotten or overlooked. Multi-directional focus and the impartiality needed to do it, cannot be done by everyone, and is therefore too much effort for too little return.
A moment to refresh and relax is generally put into boxes such as meditation, and the disciplines that bring it. A grown man with a "macho" background wouldn't (his reasons are many) or couldn't be seen to participate in Yoga, for example only, but can easily interact with the cross-platform of generally accepted, "laughter".
A relatively difficult physical position is not necessary for temporary mental migration, and indeed, a particular type of costume designed to facilitate physical positions can be left to those who are comfortable with such costumes.
So, while disciplines are of great benefit, mentally and physically, they don't embrace all, as all can't easily be embraced.
As children are encouraged to forget the enormity of the moment, who is going to look out for the rest of us? The moments can still be enormous, and some will say that the best days of your life is when you are young. There is more to consider, with age, as more appears to be present, to consider.
Still though, most grief and its' facets, are personal. Your pain is unique, in much the same way that your "toothache" is always more painful than the stories of other peoples' toothaches.
It probably follows then that your enormous moment is not much different than the moments of another, except it is more personal. The point of that is while someone else can be told to cheer up, so can you, and you can tell yourself.
"You either have to know this, or use something that will bring the same results".
"A sense of humour is a sense of spiritualism, or a sense to achieve it".
Humour is more universally social and less universally personal than negative emotions. Indeed, it a morale booster with known value in production, and the only thing of value in a predominately negative situation.
About The Author
Seamus Dolly is at www.CountControl.com.