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Crying With Laughter: My Life Story

This memoir delves into the author's unique journey, capturing the highs and lows of their existence with a blend of laughter and tears. more

Author

Bob Monkhouse
Bob Monkhouse

Bob Monkhouse, a British writer born on June 1, 1928, and passed away on December 29, 2003, was renowned for his humorous writing style and unique comedic talent. His works spanned across various domains including theater, radio, and television. more

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“How can one explain this trend towards a more colorless and shallow life? Well, the work was easier, if less healthy, and it brought in more money, more leisure, and perhaps more entertainment. A day in the country is long and hard. And yet the fruits of their present life were worthless compared to a single coin of their former life: a rest in the evening and a rural festivity. That they no longer knew the old kind of happiness was obvious from the discontentment which spread over their features. Soon dissatisfaction, prevailing over all their other moods, became their religion.”

HappinessWorkSatisfactionErnst Jünger
Book:The Glass Bees
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“The common denominator of all jokes is a path of expectation that is diverted by an unexpected twist necessitating a complete reinterpretation of all the previous facts — the punch-line…Reinterpretation alone is insufficient. The new model must be inconsequential. For example, a portly gentleman walking toward his car slips on a banana peel and falls. If he breaks his head and blood spills out, obviously you are not going to laugh. You are going to rush to the telephone and call an ambulance. But if he simply wipes off the goo from his face, looks around him, and then gets up, you start laughing. The reason is, I suggest, because now you know it’s inconsequential, no real harm has been done. I would argue that laughter is nature’s way of signaling that "it’s a false alarm." Why is this useful from an evolutionary standpoint? I suggest that the rhythmic staccato sound of laughter evolved to inform our kin who share our genes; don’t waste your precious resources on this situation; it’s a false alarm. Laughter is nature’s OK signal.”

HumorLaughterEvolutionary Psychology
Book:A Brief Tour of Human Consciousness: From Impostor Poodles to Purple Numbers
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