“A good laugh is a mighty good thing, a rather too scarce
a good thing.”
~ Herman Melville
Have you ever noticed how contagious a peal of laughter is? How at the mere sound of people laughing, you become curious, start investigating, and before you know it, you too are immersed in the middle of a guffaw moment? Best of all, it leads us to laugh with people outside our circle of acquaintances.
Laughter is that way — a signal that serves a social function. It attracts, helps us form human connections, and brings soul-soothing satisfaction.
Researching Laughter
Dr. Casper Addyman is a British researcher and developmental psychologist interested in how babies adapt to the world. He has given public lectures to a wide range of audiences, has performed in museums, theatres, pubs, schools, and nurseries, including a talk at TEDx Bratislava on Life lessons from Laughing Babies.
In that talk, he tells us how in the Navajo culture, a baby’s first laugh marks a transition from the spirit realm into its human world– usually at around the third month.
Also, together with Prof Lauren Stewart and composer Imogen Heap, the good doctor helped create the Happy Song– a song that has been viewed over 13 million times on YouTube.
I love all the research happening now, but even before any of us even knew what laughter does, you and I readily cackled away at the drop of a hat as babies and youngsters. If you need a refresher on how to do that, please go here to get a reminder on Why to Raise Your Laugh Quota and relearn something we mustn’t forget.
Incidentally, have you laughed today?
I laughed with reckless abandon today, and I owe it to the ingenuity of Mr. Aesop. Let me share what I know.
Aesop was a slave who lived between 620–560 BC in ancient Greece. He was of Ethiopian or Greek nationality. Sadly enough, not much else is known about his life.
Yet, this prolific writer of fables left us amazingly entertaining stories that still teach us great lessons about human behavior.
I’ve been a fan of his stories for decades, but the one that gave rise to this essay was one I don’t remember reading before. Perhaps too childish and clean, but gosh, it had me rolling.
You might know it with a different title or tell it differently. Here’s the one that soothed my soul today.
A Tale of Two Donkeys
An old farmer and his daughter were on their way to market to sell a donkey. The old man rode on the animal’s back while the girl trudged along. They rode this way for a mile. As they approached a well, a woman who had gone to the well to draw water stood with arms akimbo and an indignant look on what was a pretty face.
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” she told the farmer as they passed her, “you sit there with ease looking pompous and deserving while your daughter has to walk. It’s just not right.” She jeered.
The farmer thought about what the woman had said. Perhaps she’s right.
To please the woman, the father and daughter changed places and resumed their journey.
Just as they reached the outskirts of that town, they met a young man walking in the opposite direction. He stopped and put his arms akimbo.
“Why are you walking?” he asked the old farmer, “there’s ample room for both of you to ride on that donkey. That’s what donkeys are for, fools.”
Hmmm, perhaps he’s right. The farmer climbed behind his daughter, and they continued on their way.
A little later, closer to town now, they passed by two women standing by the side of the road. The women looked at the two on the donkey and frowned. Then they looked down at the donkey; their eyes filled with compassion. Feeling entitled, they approached the farmer and his daughter.
“Have you any idea of the distress you’re causing that poor animal,” one of the women said, and she stroked the donkey’s rump.
“The poor creature’s already half dead with the weight of you two,” scoffed the other, “you should be carrying the donkey instead of the donkey carrying you.” She spoke in jest, but the farmer nodded to her remorsefully.
Perhaps they’re right.
The two got off the donkey and set to comply with the women’s suggestion.
It took them a while to tie the donkey’s leg to a pole and an even longer time to lift the unwieldy animal. One, two, three — they managed to hoist the pole onto their shoulders.
With the donkey slung upside down between them and struggling to get back on its feet, the two staggered down the road.
At last, they reached the marketplace panting from the exertion, where market shoppers greeted them with considerable mirth.
“Against the assault of laughter,
nothing can stand.”
“What friendly crowd,” the farmer said to his daughter, “now let’s do what we came here to do.” They untied the donkey.
Amid the busy shoppers’ chatter and laughter, the farmer raised his voice as loud as possible. “Does anyone want to buy a donkey? It’s a healthy donkey– a hardworking donkey.”
The people at the market laughed even louder at the farmer’s attempt to sell his donkey. Again and again, the farmer repeated his sales pitch, and again and again, peals of laughter greeted him.
“Who is foolish enough to want to buy a donkey that has to be carried?” someone voiced at last.
The farmer and his daughter looked at each other puzzled. All their attempts to sell got ridiculed.
***
How did the story find you today? Do you remember reading this one before? It has become one of my favorite fables.
And the story? Did it make you laugh, do something to your soul? I hope so. Get your funnies anywhere you can for according to Mayo Clinic, there’s a multitude of physical health benefits to laughter. And I cannot think of another fun way to soothe my soul. Can you?
THANKS FOR READING,
I Wish you Miracles.
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