A well developed sense of humour
Mark Pavilons

"A well-developed sense of humour is the pole that adds balance to your steps as you walk the tightrope of life."

William Arthur Ward

Most people would rather laugh than cry.

We humans enjoy a good joke and if we had our way, we would laugh from the belly all day long.

Like art and music, humour is not only very subjective, but it's a true reflection of the human condition. It identifies us, as a species, like nothing else can.

It separates us from the lower life forms that share our planet. As smart and wise as our pets are, I've yet to hear a good knock-knock joke from a dog or cat. I've seen dolphins in action, and while one followed me along a dock in Nassau, eying me up and down, he failed to tickle my funny bone. Intelligent, definitely. But funny? Not really.

But there's no scientific information to indicate animals don't laugh. I've seen some pretty strange grins on the mugs of retrievers and gerbils. There's got to be something to all that tailwagging. And who better to laugh at than their human owners?

I believe there's nothing sweeter and more uplifting than laughter. If you're a parent, you know full well the power of a child's chuckle or the impact of your kid's cackle. It not only makes rain clouds vanish overhead, it almost has the ability to heal. To hear your children laughing and playing together like they actually love each other, is another of life's most cherished sounds.

It's humanity, plain and simple. The cheapest, cleanest resource on the planet!

And it's something that can't adequately be reproduced. In an artificial world, try as creative sorts will, they can't recreate such joy it has to be witnessed to be appreciated.

My youngest daughter will mimic all those around her. She is brought to laughter by pictures in a book or magazine. I'm not sure if she's taken by the fact these lifelike renditions are presented to her in one-dimensional form or the thought of a dog wearing a hat in some magazine ad is just hilarious. How can a one-year-old have a sense of humour when she's just beginning to grasp what life is all about? Can humour and laughter be inherent human traits?

Unlike most other human skills, humour and laughter aren't learned at all. From an early age, our species longs to laugh, giggle, howl, snicker and shriek. Wow!

We're all capable of it, but to be truly funny is a skill, an art form.

When you look like I do, you have to be funny.

I learned, at an early age, that humour is as attractive and appealing as gum, comic books and hockey cards. Funny people make us feel good and we want to be around them.

As a teen, I had to compensate for a lack of looks with rapier-sharp wit and levity.

My grade 5 principal didn't share my sense of humour when I had to explain why my friend and I were playing handball in the girls' bathroom, which was located right across from the principal's office. I mentioned something about wall structure and acoustics and was promptly rewarded with a couple of good whacks on the back of the hand. Oh, the price of artistic genius!

In high school, I willingly provided more caustic answers in class than serious revelations. Teachers overlooked my outbursts, my cries for attention, largely because I was a dedicated student and eager learner. I also learned (the hard way) that a joke won't get you out of detention, but it's a sure way to get you in detention.

It wasn't easy being class clown. Like student body president, it was held in high esteem. Like any standup comedian, material had to be fresh and new. Limericks and "old" jokes weren't enough to fool a discerning audience.

These days, finding the proverbial funny needle in the haystack of the absurd requires intestinal fortitude, dedication, patience and tenacity.

Humour, according to W. Somerset Maugham, teaches us tolerance. After we laugh about a situation, circumstance or social aspect, we learn to embrace it, or at least try to understand it.

As finely tuned as my funny bone is, I'm not always laughing. Kim constantly tells me I need to exercise more patience and tolerance of our younglings and the way they behave. Being bound by my Virgo penchant for perfection and rationality, I am often frustrated by a lack of common sense or downright stupidity.

I really should heed Kim's words. I know my kids are wonderful creatures and I couldn't find a more hilarious gaggle of humans anywhere on the globe! And I suppose it's better on the digestive system to laugh at their antics than cry and holler.

Humour won't necessarily save our planet, but it does make life a lot more palatable. Humans are superior to all ills that befall us. We laugh in the face of danger, tragedy and sorrow. We have to.

None of us likes to be told we don't have a sense of humour (you know who you are). We should cherish this aspect of humankind.

If we make contact with alien life forms, I can think of no better ambassadors than Robin Williams, George Carlin or Whoopie Goldberg.

The world presents us with plenty to frown about, even though it takes more muscles than smiling. Right next to a healthy diet is an ample dose of daily laughter. Yuck it up, people!