Comedy defined: professional entertainment consisting of jokes and satirical sketches, intended to make an audience laugh, the opposite of tragedy.
Origins of Comedy: Aristotle wrote that it originated in phallic songs, and like tragedy, began in improvisation. Though tragedy evolved in stages that can be traced, the progress of comedy passed unnoticed because it was not taken seriously. That’s actually sort of funny when you think about it - comedy not taken seriously.
(A team of employees laughing during a Knuckleball Comedy team building workshop)
Comedy is the best antidote to insanity - today’s quote by a politician running for US Senate on why his campaign is hosting a comedy night - given all the problems in the world, he said, we really need to laugh.
And I recently watched Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement address. He’s a guy who knows a thing or two about comedy - 70 years old and still at the top of his game. I mean, what other 70 year old makes a movie about pop tarts?
Some things I took away from his comments is that life without humor is a tough slog and comedy gives relief from the drudgery and pain of life. In fact, comedy often thrives in tough times. We’ve all heard of black comedy, where we find humor in some of the darkest subjects because, well, going back to an earlier blog, we can cry or we can laugh to release stress, and laughing is just more fun.
Of course, he also talked about the importance of hard work, paying attention, and falling in love - not just with people but with all the little things in life that give us pleasure - a great cup of coffee, a pen that feels good in your hand. Find work you love, people you love, and laugh as much as possible. His bottom line - humor is the most powerful essential quality we have to navigate this life.
We at Knuckleball Comedy couldn’t agree more, which is why our mission is helping people find the humor in life, helping people connect with each other, and to laugh, always laugh.
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