Laughing With Others

I enjoy a good laugh, and sometimes, while by myself, I will snicker at something. A phrase from a book I’m reading, watching the squirrels squirreling around in my yard, or noticing the neighbor’s cat waiting on the ledge of their owner’s bedroom window willing them to wake up and let it in.  

But laughing alone is not the same as laughing with others. 

Humor’s potency is stronger when it is shared and much weaker when it is not shared. Humor has a real substance, power, and force.

Case in point. This last weekend I was amongst a population of strangers. Toastmasters from around the Northwest, converged in one place to attend and participate in an annual event. There were about 160 people who attended. I was in the midst of strangers. I only knew four of them. 

But, I did not stand alone. Instead, I chose to volunteer wherever I was needed. Which is why I found myself with three other people greeting and helping registrants register for the event. 

While working with these three other volunteers in the ninety minutes we were together we shared the substance of humor. Not by laughing at each other, but by laughing with each other. 

We laughed at our mistakes, at our obsessive compulsiveness, and an occasional off the cuff joke. 

The four of us had our differences; gender, backstories, and culture yet, humor and laughter dissolved all of those mysterious barriers we seem to erect when we are around strangers. 

Later in the day, I sat as a part of the general audience during the humorous speech contest. The eight contestants each had a different slant on humor. Some of their topics included poop, communicating with women, and learning to drive. 

Each speech had me laughing out loud. But I wasn’t alone. My laughter mixed with the resounding laughter of all the other people who were present. Our differences; gender, backstories, and culture did not matter. Together, our unique sound waves and vibrations produced a powerful substance in the room and in each other. 

Not only that, but the man sitting in front of me, constantly turned around to catch my eye so that together, we could acknowledge and confirm that, “This is funny stuff!” 

Why Bother?

Why bother laughing with others? We can chuckle by ourselves. But when we can participate in laughing with others, we’ll produce an unforgettable and more powerful substance.