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Conference quark::human_relations-v1

Title:What's all this fuss about 'sax and violins'?
Notice:Archived V1 - Current conference is QUARK::HUMAN_RELATIONS
Moderator:ELESYS::JASNIEWSKI
Created:Fri May 09 1986
Last Modified:Wed Jun 26 1996
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1327
Total number of notes:28298

49.0. "The real question is ...?" by TONTO::EARLY (Bob_the_hiker :^) ) Wed Aug 27 1986 02:46

    Some time ago, I heard a phrase that stuck with me. I fail to
    recall who the author is, but at oine time, in a faraway
    land, I was asked whay I cracked so many jokes (or tried toi ;^).
    
    The phrase is : "I laugh, lest I cry". 
    
    Recently, I've heard another phrase, a paraphrase of sorts:
    "Those who can ... do,

        Those who can't ... manage,

        	Those who can't manage ... teach,

    
    			    And those who can't ... tell jokes."
    
    Considering all the people you know ... what is the real question
    ?
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name		DateLines
49.1QUARK::LIONELReality is frequently inaccurateWed Aug 27 1986 03:026
    I think that a compulsion to tell jokes is generally considered
    a defense mechanism - a way of coping with life.  There's nothing
    particularly wrong with this way of coping over any other unless
    it becomes an obsession and you find yourself unable to turn off
    the jokes.
    			Steve
49.2The best medicine...HERMES::CLOUDLIVE! From the Cosmos...Fri Aug 29 1986 23:0415
    When I was young and growing up in the 'burbs of Los Angeles, I
    found it necessary to avoid certain neighborhoods...lest I get
    throttled by an unknown group of hoods.  As you may imagine, I
    was not a very big kid.  On the contrary, I was the runt of the
    litter so to speak.  I found that in school, it was best to avoid
    unnecessary hassles with the bigger kids.  I took to humor, rather
    than physical abuse.  I found that I made quite a few friends. 
    The RIGHT friends in fact.  From that point on, it was easy to
    relate to people (although I don't abuse humor) larger and more
    intimidating than me at the time.  Just make 'em laugh.....
    
    					OO
    					\/
    
    							Phil
49.3AKOV68::BOYAJIANForever On PatrolThu Sep 04 1986 08:2214
    I agree with Steve that it's often a way to cope with life.
    Humor is a great way to reduce the tradegy of life. In this
    respect, I find nothing too sacred that it can't be made fun
    of in a joke. I feel that our greatest gift is the ability
    to laugh at our shortcomings or misfortunes.
    
    Two other relevant quotes that come to mind:
    
    "Life is a comedy to those who feel, and a tradegy to those
    who think."
    
    "Man is the animal that laughs."
    
    --- jerry
49.4 Another way of putting it RANI::HOFFMANSun Sep 21 1986 20:0213
If memory serves, this is from "The Rubayat of Omar Kayam":

	There were those who crowned him and there were
	those who who threw stones at him. But he was
	quich to laugh at everything, lest he be forced
	to cry over it.

I'm afraid this has lost something in the translation, but you get
the idea...

-- Ron