Meet, Laugh, Connect, Evolve
By Mickey Z.
03 March, 2014
World News Trust
Photo credit: Mickey Z.
“We have all known the long loneliness and we have learned that the only solution is love and that love comes with community.” - Dorothy Day
In this digital age, we’ve all experienced situations in which a text message or e-mail was misconstrued because the person on the receiving end could not discern tone. Without the facial expressions, physical gestures, and vocal inflections gathered during face-to-face conversation, communication can become a challenge.
“The more we understand about postures and movements that we use to signal our feelings to one another,” explains zoologist Desmond Morris, “the less insecure and uncertain we feel.”
With that in mind, how about we all commit to rediscovering the value of real-time human contact and the role it can play in saving our eco-system?
Hey, if nothing else, it might good for a few communal laughs…
We humans have invented so many ways to express our humor -- just think of all the words we have (in English alone) for “laugh” (giggle, chortle, snicker, chuckle, cackle, guffaw, hoot, snigger, titter, snort, etc.) and “funny” (hilarious, humorous, uproarious, comical, droll, hysterical, amusing, witty, mirthful, etc.), and “joke” (gag, one-liner, witticism, wisecrack, pun, riposte, jest, prank, jibe, etc.).
But somewhere over the years, we manage to lose a few hundred laughs every 24 hours.
Children (of all cultures) laugh, on average, 400 times a day. For adults, the number is 15. Doctors Gael Crystal and Patrick Flanagan call laughter “a form of internal jogging that exercises the body and stimulates the release of beneficial brain neurotransmitters and hormones.”
Endocrinologist Stanley Tan has found that humor and exercise trigger “similar physiological processes,” i.e. releasing neuro-hormones that act “like an orchestra, each instrument makes a particular note. Laughter makes the entire orchestra more melodious or balanced.”
Translation: Typing LOL or LMAO is not the same thing as a group of comrades heartily laughing together before heading out to do battle against the 1% who threaten the future of all life on earth.
Which brings me back to the whole face-to-face concept. In the name of communication context, let’s not forget all the solidarity that’s been cultivated without the benefit of an iPhone… for example, movements in areas like anti-slavery, labor, women’s rights, civil rights, and anti-Apartheid.
When staring down a heavily-funded, well-armed propaganda machine, it’s gonna take a wide and ever-evolving range of tactics to bring down the dominant culture. This task starts with a combination of direct action and direct contact.
So, my friends, the question remains: Who’s gonna have the last laugh? I say we get face-to-face and find out.
#shifthappens
Note: To continue conversations like this, come see Mickey Z. in person on March 4 at Bluestockings Bookstore in NYC.
Order Occupy this Book: Mickey Z. on Activism here.
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Mickey Z. is the author of 11 books, most recently the novel Darker Shade of Green. Until the laws are changed or the power runs out, he can be found on a couple of obscure websites called Facebook and Twitter. Anyone wishing to support his activist efforts can do so by making a donation here
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