Comedy makes me happy. For the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why. Until I recently realized it is because it reminds us of all the ways we fail. It reminds us of all the ways we aren’t perfect. In our day-to-day lives, the pressure to perform, to be perfect, and to aim high consumes us. There is nothing wrong with it, but there are also moments when we’re dumb. We don’t always walk through automated doors with perfectly ironed suits. We push a pull door, we pull a push door, we pull a sliding door, and we get stuck in revolving doors. Sometimes we don’t talk about these moments enough because we’re afraid they will poke holes in our reputation. We’re supposed to be fierce and know what we’re doing, but that is not true - everybody drops their fries sometimes. Comedy reminds us that everyone struggles, and not all struggles are bad - most are just funny.
Mark twain said “The secret source of humor itself is not joy, but sorrow. There is no humor in heaven.” Comedy is catharsis that we are not alone in our sorrow.