Laughter Helps Expose Our Fears As Ridikulus
In our Common Room <a href=”http://thehpalliance.ning.com/profiles/blogs/wwddthe-value-of-humor”>one member writes</a> “In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, we learned that the boggart, the embodiment of our worst fears, is defeated by laughter.” The way this is done is by looking directly at the fear while imagining something very silly and shouting the incantation, “Ridikulus.”
Laughter is often the best medicine when it comes to our most painful fears.
True. But, facing your fears is difficult, laughing or not, and so I suggest the moral that there is also strength in numbers (as seen when the boggart gets confused if confronted with multiple people).
Agreed, Ellen. I had one friend who was horribly afraid of needles. She decided in our senior year of high school to confront her fear head-on by giving blood at the annual blood drive.
Unfortunately, this was made a little traumatic since they had a difficult time drawing blood and had to stick her several times. Fortunately, she was surrounded by friends to support her and distract her with stories and jokes and she was able to get through it and donate blood.
It wasn’t without anxiety and some tears, but with all of us around her, both joking and just keepig her company, she was able to take the first step in moving past her fear.
Jenni, I had a similar problem with needles (and frankly still do) in high school and I also had an especially hard time my first go. I starting donating blood in high school and still do every time I’m able. They always laugh at me when they see the amount I’ve donated and then watch me nearly crawl off the table to get away from the needle.
I face my fear all the time. Between blood work every 6 weeks and donating every 8, I have lots of opportunities. It doesn’t lessen it, but it does make me feel stronger for “surviving” the vampires, as I lovingly refer to them.
I have to agree. But, fears cannot only be defeated by laughter, only deterred. To truely illiminate fears we must show strength. Only when a person says ‘yes, I can face this’, will they be fearless.
I agree with all that has been said and would like to add, a personal anecdote: I went to a haunted cornmaze one Halloween with my friend and we can to where this guy was crouched down in the middle of the path, he just sat there if you walked by him confidently, but if you freaked out he lunged at you. I’m a bit of a scardey cat and was freaking out, My friend Mary whispered to me “Don’t let him know you are scared” I took a deep breath and walked by him with my head held high and just smiled down at him.
I was about to pee my pants out of fright but I did it and we still laugh about and I’m not as scared anymore.