Priceless Humor is Priceless!
05/06/09
For centuries stories have been told and retold throughout the world. How come? For one thing, they are entertaining. Another reason is that they deal with the human condition, one way or another. Even animal characters in stories act out the situations of our own humanity.
The struggles of life have been with us for centuries as well. Conflict. Pestilence. Thorny relationships. All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. Some kind of resolution.
At the same time, nobody likes to be preached to. We prefer to take our medicine with a bit of sweetener. Enter laughter. It is the honey in the brew. Priceless humor is filled with wit and wisdom. A unique combination.
As you know, laughter lightens the heart. Laughter enlivens the spirit. And as long as we are laughing at the foibles of others (and not ourselves) we find those situations funny. Call it priceless humor.
Look at the great humorists around us. Art Buchwald. George Carlin. Garrison Kiellor. Check out the humorists of history. Mark Twain Henry Fielding All of them were storytellers. Painting scenes with priceless humor.
Priceless humor... what makes it priceless? The answer is simple. Priceless humor revolves about common everyday experiences. The lost keys. The comic situation. The laughable consequences generally follow in quick succession.
You will find lots of priceless humor in urban folktales. My CD Parking in Manhattan illustrates many humorous circumstances. These hilarious comedies involve characters everybody can relate to and empathasize with. Priceless situations create priceless humor.
You can also find many examples of priceless humor in world stories. These stories always bring gales of laughter when they are told. Check out "Rock Soup" or "Herschel in the Woods" from my CD Fables in Four Minutes. Listen to "The Egg Seller" or "Hickory Dock" from World Full of Stories. These are just a few examples of priceless humor. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a very long time. At www.jaystetzer.com you will find a rich source of priceless humor!
I listen to lots of conversations. They are filled with catastrophes and disasters. And the life lessons are generally hidden from view. As a storyteller, my job is to sift through the data and sort out the meaning. Also, I need to inject a bit of humor to make the tale palatable. Priceless humor.
Virtually every storytelling genre contains examples of priceless humor. Why? Simple answer number two. Laughter makes learning easier. There is often a lesson to be learned through a story with priceless humor. It just goes to show what a treasure priceless humor can be.
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