Being able to laugh is a sign of emotional and spiritual health, and can aid in physical health as well. An Irish proverb (very appropriate for St. Paddy's Week!) says "A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the Doctor's book." The Yiddish second this with THEIR proverb: "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."
There is nothing like laughter to put the cares and tragedies of the moment into perspective. Abraham Lincoln observed "With the fearful strain that is on me, night and day, if I did not laugh, I should die." Laughter allows us to creatively break loose from the constraints of a fixed mindset that is hindering us: "At the height of laughter the universe is flung into a kaleidoscope of new possibilities." (Jean Huston.)
When we teach our children to allow themselves to laugh, we teach them that no circumstances can ever completely overpower the human spirit - and no coping mechanism available to us is more fun and enjoyment! Even at the time of the death of a loved one, the grief of wakes and funerals can be softened and leavened with laughter as loved ones and friends share funny stories about the deceased, often about their most unique and beloved talents and idiosyncrasies. If we have a spiritual belief in the afterlife, laughter is that much easier! Our loved one still lives with God, and we can celebrate that precious life in the peace of knowing God holds him/her safe.
And our own idiosyncrasies can be the source of so much hilarity if we have a healthy regard for all our inner contradictions and frailties and foibles. We are who we are: if we accept who we are, we go a long way in learning to accept others. If we are merciful towards ourselves, we'll be merciful to others. Being able to laugh at ourselves shows the depths of our own loving self-acceptance. In doing so, we teach and allow others to laugh at themselves and become healthier and happier in the process.
One of my staffs knew well that I was both creative AND seemingly disorganized. I - and they - had made many jokes about this. So they blessed me with a sign for the front of my desk: "A Clean Desk is the Sign of A Sick Mind." I like to think that seeing that sign disarmed and relaxed visitors to my office before they had to meet with me. Since I always appeared in the morning with numerous bags, the decor for my fiftieth birthday party was walls decorated with all sizes and types of bags. That group of workers teased each other with unrestrained zesty wit - and was the most collaborative, creative, happy group you could ever meet.
Which is why one of my ways of gauging the health of a family is how easily the members tease each other and joke about themselves as well. Being able to laugh at ourselves and with one another tells us that we're all in the same leaky boat struggling to get to land - and everybody gets to bail. Everybody - both children AND parents. If parents can't laugh at themselves, and if children can't tease their parents, no one is admitting that we're on a level playing field in God's eyes.
Laughter, after all, is a gift from God. Henry Ward Beecher once said "Mirth is God's medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it."
And - so appropriately for the North East, where we're beginning to see green grass as the mighty snow dunes melt - "Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face." (Victor Hugo.)