Balancing Our Humors

There is a lot of humor flying around here lately. Where is the line between being supportive of a work reorganization and finding humor in aspects of it?

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP) outlines three aspects of humor:

incongruity
superiority
relief

One colleague described a humorous interchange as cathartic. Definitely I've enjoyed all the humor that's been shared with me lately, however, there has always been a tinge of fear or uncertainty accompanying the exchange. Is it ok to laugh? Am I wrong for finding this funny? Does this mean I am undermining the process somehow?

I've observed that most of the humor I've responded to is from like-minded people who are positive about the future, even without knowing whether it holds a place for us. If you are worried about inappropriate humor, you can always try laugh therapy.

In college, we used to sit in a circle playing the Ha game; beginning with one Ha, the person to your left always added a Ha till eventually everyone was rolling on the floor in laughter. (I know, we were wild and crazy). We were experimenting with ways to alter your state without using substances, and it worked. I don't know if people (including myself) can take down their professional barriers enough at work to enjoy a round of Ha, so here are some of the best versions of humor as a means of relief I have seen this week:

Incongruity

#HLTH #HBDC (Honey Badger Don't Care)

HL Transition process is a lot like fight club.
1st Rule: You do not talk about the HL Transition process.
2nd Rule: You DO NOT talk about the HL Transition process.

Superiority

#HLTH We need a new word for the drinking game, no one's liver will survive 'process'.

Relief

We're going on a reorg
It's going to be a big one
What a beautiful day
We're not scared

Uh oh, there's a process
We can't go over it
We can't go around it
We must go through it . . .

As I copy these here, it shows that so much of humor is context and content. So get out there and laugh with friends, enjoy the weekend. The students and faculty are back and we have work to do!