Want Some Priceless Humor

12/30/08

For centuries stories have been told and retold throughout the world. How come? Because they are entertaining, for one thing. For another, they deal with the human condition. Even stories using animals as characters reflect the situations and actions of our species.

The struggles of life have been with us for centuries as well. Wars. Famine. Relationship scuffles. All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. A resolution of some sort.

At the same time, nobody likes to be preached to. We prefer to take our medicine with a bit of sweetener. Enter laughter. Humor makes a hard message a bit easier to swallow. Witty humor is priceless humor. A unique combination.

As you know, everyone loves to laugh. Laughter enlivens the spirit. And as long as we are laughing at the foibles of others (and not ourselves) we find those situations funny. Call it priceless humor.

Look at the great humorists around us. Dave Barry. Mark Russell. Russell Baker. Look at history and the humorists that litter the pages. Mark Twain Henry Fielding Storytellers all. Priceless humor their brush.

Priceless humor... what makes it priceless? There is a simple answer to this question. Priceless humor involves situations which most of us have experienced. The missed appointment. The misunderstood comment. The laughable consequences generally follow in quick succession.

You will find lots of priceless humor in urban folktales. Listeners can readily find many humorous circumstances in my CD Parking in Manhattan. Folks can relate to and empathize with the characters involved in these hilarious comedies. Priceless humor arises out of priceless situations.

World stories also capitalize on priceless humor. These stories always bring gales of laughter when they are told. Two good examples from my CD Fables in Four Minutes are "Rock Soup" and "Herschel in the Woods" My CD World Full of Stories has many examples a listener can enjoy. These are just a few examples of priceless humor. 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 laden with disasters and catastrophes. 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. To make the tale palatable, I inject a bit of humor. Priceless humor.

Virtually every storytelling genre contains examples of priceless humor. What is the reason for it? Another simple answer. 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!