A Thamizh proverb says,
வாய் விட்டு சிரித்தால் நோய் விட்டு போகும்
A hearty laughter keeps diseases away
Laughter is one of the most under-rated things in the world.
Laughter is the most human among all the "human-only" things in this planet. It is said that primates took almost 10-16 million years evolving the ability to laugh. Most of the animals cannot laugh, however hard they try ! Research shows that the expression of pleasure by the animals are limited to the extent of a minor variation in their breathing or making small unrecognizable sounds.
We might have heard of a "Hyena Laugh" - the closest we could have associated laugh to an animal ! Check these links to know the reality behind the same
The inability to seek laughter is simply a waste of Nature's gift to mankind.
While popular culture idolizes Smile as a virtue, Laughter gets looked down upon. More often than not, people raise eyebrows, if they see someone enjoying a full blown guffaw at a public place or a meeting. Forget about having the ability to laugh at themselves, how often do we see leaders (Business / Political) laughing out loud in public ? How did this even happen that having a good laugh is seen as a weakness ?
Even in Entertainment industry worldwide, comedy is not mainstream. We call the laughter artists as "Jokers", whereas they should actually be called as "Heroes" for all the free health service that they provide ! Wikipedia lists just 17 Comedy television networks in the World, and 5 in India !
The only silver lining is that the South Indian Film Industry is able to stand out, and sustain comedy as mainstream, thanks to the highly talented artists, across generations and across languages. There are dedicated comedy TV Channels with very high TRP ratings, making it a profitable business as well. The Vadivelu / Jagathy / Brahmanandam Memes have ensured that a daily dose of laughter is delivered through social media and messaging platforms non-stop.
While physical fitness is mainstream, mental health continues to remain ignored. How many of us have ever recognized the power of laughter, when it comes to the innumerable health (Both physical and mental) benefits it can give ? The best part is that the laughter encourages people to come together, since a laughter generally gets better with a good company.
Let's Laugh out Loud, before it is too late !
