WHEN was the last time you made somebody smile, my dear reader?
Perhaps you think this is hardly the time to do so. That would be understandable, considering today’s troubling global and national situation.
Yet making somebody smile does not require much. Give a compliment. Notice something nice about a person’s outfit, effort, or smile, and say it aloud.
Share a laugh by sending a funny meme, video, or lighthearted joke to a friend. Show simple kindness: hold a door open, thank a service worker, or simply offer a warm, friendly smile to a stranger. Send someone a quick note out of the blue to say you appreciate them or are thinking of them.
Remember: simple acts of kindness have the power to brighten someone’s day.
Honestly, when we look around, it sometimes seems as though we have neither the time nor the reason to laugh. Perhaps laughter can wait until tomorrow — or, better yet, until the day after tomorrow. After all, anticipation can sometimes be better.
Our enemies may laugh up their sleeves, while we often fail to recognize the good fortune that is still smiling upon us. But hold on: he who laughs last laughs longest. Remember?
American neurologist Henri Rubenstein has said that laughter can lower high blood pressure while aiding digestion and promoting sleep. Well, give me even a simple smile and consider what experts have long suggested: good humor can help even the gravely or terminally ill cope with their ordeal.
Of course, when we look at the world around us these days, we may not exactly roar with laughter or split our sides laughing. And sometimes laughter can even go too far!
Have you heard the story of a spectator who reportedly died of a heart attack while watching the comedy “A Fish Called Wanda” starring John Cleese of Britain’s legendary Monty Python comedy troupe?
A heart attack, of course, is no laughing matter. Still, I continue to enjoy watching this movie.
Even when we think we have no reason to laugh, we should still try to express joy spontaneously and allow ourselves to be cheerful. We still have reasons to begin with the softest form of laughter — the simple smile.
This is something I have learned and experienced since I first traveled through Asia in 1978 and later settled permanently in the Philippines in 1999. Keep smiling, even when you are burdened by enormous problems.
Experts also say that good humor works because it helps put people at ease. French psychotherapist Sylvie Tenenbaum has observed that, among her patients, laughter often signals the beginning of a healthy awakening to reality. Gallows humor may seem questionable to others, but sometimes we need an emotional release. Sing out loud. Cry if you must. But do not forget to laugh.
As a devout Christian, I love reading the Bible. Ecclesiastes 3:1-4 reminds us: “There is a time for everything…a time to be born and a time to die…a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh!”
And, very importantly, the Psalms always help. They are cries from the heart — songs of sorrow as well as joy. For almost every emotion and mood, one can find a psalm that speaks to it. They wrestle with the deepest sorrow, yet their voices remain refreshingly spontaneous and profoundly human.
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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), or LinkedIn. You may also visit www.germanexpatinthephilippines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com./PN
