For centuries stories have been told and retold throughout the world. How come? For one thing, they are entertaining. For another, they deal with the human condition. Even animal characters in stories act out the situations of our own humanity.
For centuries as well, life has been a struggle. Conflict. Pestilence. Thorny relationships. Struggles that implore some understanding, some support. Some kind of resolution.
Needless to say, no one cares to listen to preaching. 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 takes the sting out of life. 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 around you at the great humorists. Dave Barry. Mark Russell. Garrison Kiellor. Check out the humorists of history. Mark Twain Ogden Nash. Storytellers all. Priceless humor their brush.
Priceless humor... what makes it priceless? The answer is simple. 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. My CD Parking in Manhattan illustrates many humorous circumstances. Folks can relate to and empathize with the characters involved in these hilarious comedies. Priceless situations create priceless humor.
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. There are many similar examples of priceless humor from virtually every country on the planet. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a very long time. At www.jaystetzer.com you will find a rich source of priceless humor!
I listen to lots of conversations. They are filled with catastrophes and disasters. The conversants generally cannot see the life lesson they offer. It is my job as a storyteller to sort out the meaning from all the information I hear. Also, I need to inject a bit of humor to make the tale palatable. Priceless humor.
Virtually every storytelling genre contains examples of priceless humor. What is the reason for it? Simple answer number two. Laughter makes learning easier. A story with priceless humor often comes with a lesson attached. Priceless humor is... priceless!
