What a comical species we are. The proof? Laughter. We laugh. At what? Why?
It¡¯s good for us, of course. It strengthens the immune system, boosts energy, diminishes pain, relieves stress. So say modern experts. But people don¡¯t, generally speaking, laugh for therapy. They laugh because life is funny. What¡¯s funny about it? What does ¡°funny¡± mean?
Japanese history is richer in tears than in laughter ¡ª though things did get off to a rollicking start, the ancient chronicles tell us, with uproarious laughter among the gods. Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, sulking in her cave after suffering a gross insult, had to be lured out if the world was not to languish in darkness. So the ¡°Dread Female of Heaven¡± performed a lewd dance; gods and goddesses exploded in mirth; the Sun Goddess peeked out to see what was happening; the gods seized her, and restored her to her place in the sky.
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