The Unifying Power of Humour: How a Joke Can Bridge Any Divide
Recently, I was watching the news of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly session. The discussions were so furious and intense. Every party seemed completely divided and pitted against each other. Until... A joke was passed by one of the members. The whole assembly started cracking up. For a brief moment, they all seemed very much together. They all laughed at the exact same joke, regardless of which party member passed it. They actually looked happy together and the follow-on comments on the joke made everyone crack up again. This made me recall and analyse some circumstances in my own life to see if this was really the case. As it turns out, for the most part, it is surprisingly true. It made me realize how humour subconsciously makes us forget the status of a relationship with someone, establishes a common ground, lets us laugh and unites us. When we take things with lightness and humour, it genuinely strengthens a relationship by shifting our focus entirely to the joke and forces us...