To Laugh is to Forget
Find that laugh. Find the laugh that makes you lose control. Find that laugh, and you’ll find a little more healing. It’s the kind of healing that we all need. It makes us forget our troubles. Even the most serious troubles.
Even in the throes of war, people need to laugh; and forget.
When you laugh – really laugh – you send a flood of signals to the parts of your brain that are in charge of higher levels of thought. At the same time, laughter suppresses the parts of your brain that are responsible for those “fight or flight” sensations: worry and panic. Laughter kidnaps you from your problems. And, as an extra gift, laughter boosts your immune system and strengthens your central nervous system against shock.
So find that laugh. If you can’t find laughter by yourself, then find the people who will bring it to you and make you laugh. You will forget and heal in the richness of laughing, forgetting, healing companionship.
- Duh De Ching