Priceless Humor on the Net
05/06/09
Stories have been told and retold for centuries 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. Wars. Pestilence. Thorny relationships. All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. A resolution of some sort.
Needless to say, no one cares to listen to preaching. We prefer to take our medicine with a bit of sweetener. That is where laughter comes in. Humor makes a hard message a bit easier to swallow. Priceless humor is filled with wit and wisdom. An awesome blend of entertainment and enlightenment.
As you know, laughter lightens the heart. Laughter takes the sting out of life. And as long as we are laughing at the foibles of others (and not ourselves) we find those situations funny. This is priceless humor.
Look around you at the great humorists. Dave Barry. George Carlin. Russell Baker. Look at history and the humorists that litter the pages. Moliere. Henry Fielding Storytellers all. Painting scenes with priceless humor.
Priceless humor... what makes it priceless? The answer is simple. Priceless humor revolves about common everyday experiences. The missed appointment. The misunderstood comment. 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.
World stories also capitalize on priceless humor. The retelling of such stories never ceases to bring gales of laughter to listeners. Two good examples from my CD Fables in Four Minutes are "Rock Soup" and "Herschel in the Woods" Listen to "The Egg Seller" or "Hickory Dock" from World Full of Stories. There are many similar examples of priceless humor from virtually every country on the planet. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a very long time. You can find priceless humor and more at www.jaystetzer.com.
When I am out and about, I tune into conversations around me. They are filled with catastrophes and disasters. The conversants generally cannot see the life lesson they offer. 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. Making the story priceless with priceless humor!
Virtually every storytelling genre contains examples of priceless humor. What is the reason for it? Simple answer number two. We learn best when we are laughing. There is often a lesson to be learned through a story with priceless humor. Priceless humor is... priceless!
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World stories
Child stories