"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."For a complete nincompoop, Roger Rabbit sure was wise. Laughter truly is the best medicine. A chortle or a giggle will expel those dark rain clouds that seem to follow only you. A snigger or snort provides the antidote to the poison that is a bad mood. What it all comes down to is very simple: "Smile, darn ya, smile!"

I firmly believe that we can best appreciate life only when we have a healthy sense of humor. It doesn't matter if it is dark, witty, absurd or whatever, as long as we can laugh at the crazy stuff life throws at us. And, as we all know, there's a lot of crazy stuff out there.

I get the impression that a fair number of Brandeisians are rather serious. Don't get me wrong, serious is fine, it worked for the Victorians-but my way is better. Seriousness is only acceptable in extreme moderation.
A corollary of my theory, by the way, is that a huge number of people here take themselves way too seriously. It's a shame.

Why do so many people here not get it? Maybe, as one of my colleagues suggested, it stems from the inherent social awkwardness, in his opinion a quality of Brandeis students. If many students cannot read facial and vocal cues, how can they detect sarcasm? An alternative root may be the overemphasis we place on academics. Too often students here work on Friday and Saturday nights-even once in a college career is one too many times. As they are not out having fun, getting some release from stress, no wonder they lack a sense of humor. The two are very much linked.

Or maybe there's something in the water?

You may be thinking that on a campus with three improvisational groups, a sketch comedy troupe and a handful of self-proclaimed stand-up comedians, I'd have no need to discuss this. However, enjoying comedy is very different from having a sense of humor.

Enjoying comedy means that you understand jokes and appreciate them. A sense of humor is about reactions to sarcasm, satire, and cynicism. It is the ability to take life's obstacles with a wry grin and to deal with annoying people.

Therefore, someone without a sense of humor will not understand satire and sarcasm for what they are; unfortunately, such poor souls will overreact to them. When people overreact, it's a sure sign that they take themselves too seriously. For that, all I can say is that the health center should start distributing chill pills.

I, however, have no need for these medications. Anyone who looks the way I do cannot afford to take himself too seriously, so when people are being jerks, I laugh at them. People like that are not worth my time or effort. Thus, I can escape an overdeveloped sense of seriousness.

Now, I realize that no one, after reading this article, is suddenly going to develop a sense of humor. In my first draft, I included a "how to grow a sense of humor" guide that came across as kind of obnoxious-and that is a freely admitted understatement. After some thought, I concluded that a sense of humor cannot be forced-it is part of an internal process, which cannot be taught. All I can hope to do for you is suggest and inspire.

Realize that life will only be as fun as you make it. If you let little things get to you, you will not have a good time. Force yourself to change how you think about other people. What's worked for me is just not to care about them as people; in other words, their very existence is insignificant to me. I highly recommend it. Remember, life has too much potential to squander it, so have fun, laugh at stupid people and enjoy!