Laughter Helps Us Get Through Dark and Difficult Times
After Voldemort returns, Harry gives the winnings from the TriWizard Tournament to Fred and George to open a joke shop. They are reluctant to accept the generous gift of one thousand galleons.
“’Listen,’ said Harry firmly. ‘If you don’t take it, I’m throwing it down the drain. I don’t want it and I don’t need it. But I could do with a few laughs. We could all with a few laughs. I’ve got a feeling we’re going to need them more than usual before long’” (Goblet of Fire 733).
Tyrants and mini-tyrants don’t know what to do with humorists. Normally the first thing a dictatorship does is censor all satire because humor is innately subversive. And at a time when Wizards were fearing the new rise of the Dark Wizard that they referred to as “You Know Who?,” Harry’s investment proves worthwhile as Fred and George’s joke shop lit up with the words,
“WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT
YOU-KNOW-WHO?
YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT
U-NO-POO-
THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION
THAT’S GRIPPING THE NATION! (Half-Blood Prince 116)
Indeed at a time when network television was trying to draw up a call for war based on playing on people’s deepest fears, the Daily Show and the Colbert Report have emerged as a way to laugh at their sheer absurdity. I believe Fred and Dumbledore are watching from afar, tipping their hats to Misters John Stewart and Stephen Colbert.
Yes. laughter helps us get through dark and difficult times. man it’s plain truth.
it’s happened to me. bad stuff happened to me. I laughed. I found something to hold onto. I didn’t lose myself in the process… I survived.
if you’re going through a hard time, it’s important to find some distraction. I think it’s here where the ‘entertainment’ business really needs to step up.
) or a movie you’ve seen thousands of times and always makes you feel better…
whether it’s a great show you love, an amazing, thrilling book (both methods used by me. I especially loved to hide in my room and read Harry Potter
GO FOR IT!
we ALL need it sometime in our life.
you’re lost. you’re tired. you’re sad.
you go and see your favorite “FRIENDS” chapter once again. you laugh. HARD.
it’s over. you’re back to reality. but this time it’s not so bad!
you forgot about your situation for a second and realized maybe, just MAYBE, you have the power to get through it.
and you will.
I see the ability to laugh through tough times (whether it’s related to the tough situation or not) is yet another way of confronting our wide range of emotions. I have found, in my life, that when I suppress one emotion, I end up suppressing a whole slew of others that I didn’t even realise were being held back. It was only when I was able to confront some of my hidden emotions that I was able to open up and allow myself to see all that I had been holding back and to release it all into the wild open world. And yes, it can be scary. But it doesn’t have to be.
Allowing ourselves to get a laugh and to see the humour in an otherwise entirely horrible situation is the first step in getting over and/or past that experience, as Meli suggested. Even allowing yourself to find humour and joy in SOMEthing could be enough to get the ball rolling in confronting other emotions that may be held back.
So I guess the point of all this is that we should not remain ignorant of the fun and joyous things in life. Allow yourself to see the good things and to laugh at the silly things. The lowest low I have ever reached was severe apathy. I never want to go there again and I doubt I will with how I view my life and the world now. See the joy, get a laugh, and do the best you can!
Who doesn’t need a little more laughter in their lives? ;D
I love to laugh more than anything in the whole world. I appreciate those who can give me a good laugh and it is something I value highly in others.
Laughter has helped me through the worst week in my life and whenever I laugh, a weight lifts off of my chest and I feel slightly lightheaded. It’s the best feeling in the world.
Wasn’t Saddam one of those tyrants you were talking about? But I guess liberating millions of people is just absurd anyway. In 2003, the government reacted to that murderous Saddam Hussein the same way the trio and the DA and Dumbledore reacted to the murderous Lord Voldemort. I don’t care what Stewart or Colbert say (they can be funny though, I will admit).
Chris: the HPA stands with Amnesty International in its condemnation of Saddam Hussein’s regime. Just because we’re against it does not mean there is one way to go about approaching it.
Laughter is one of the most powerful things in the universe and Harry Potter has sure made me laugh hard. I got into the series late (2004) but there was no better time for me. It pulled me through some really rough spots. I don’t know how I would have handled them otherwise. Because of JKR and her creation, I am more optimistic and do more random acts of kindness. I have also been able to forgive more easily. This has truly been an amazing experience and I wouldn’t trade it for any other. Today, it gives me tremendous joy and warmth to be a part of such an incredible organization that takes the books I love so dearly and uses them for the betterment of all. I am so proud. I cannot thank Jo, Harry, or Andrew enough. Thank you!!!!