Kamala’s Laughter
An example of the balancing power of laughter to keep us from crying
The King James version of Proverbs 17:22 says, a merry heart doeth good like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones. Presumably this scripture serves as the basis for saying that laughter is medicine.
Never in my life have I heard someone utter those three words with disdain. But apparently laughter can be a problem as we are discovering with the criticism of how our current Vice President, Kamala Harris, laughs.
With all the coverage of the criticism, I’m learning some history of the disdain for laughter among women and black people as slaves and under Jim Crow. I won’t give you a history lesson. I will let you go down those rabbit holes for yourselves. The ultimate reason for mentioning this history is that stifling laughter is an oppressive strategy.
But I’d like to talk about the mental, emotional and even physical drawbacks to containing our laughter using Vice President Harris as our prime subject. If you didn’t already know, the bulk of our Vice President’s career has been as a prosecutor. A role that she has been quite successful at and a role that I’m sure she considers to be an expression of her life’s purpose.
As a prosecutor, district attorney and state Attorney General, she handled cases involving violent and non-violent offenses. She’s had to stomach probably some of the most vile images, absorb the emotional pain of victims, while managing her own horror at heinous activity and abhorrent corruption. As a women of color in a white-male dominated profession, she had to hold her head up high in undoubtedly unwelcoming environments. She’s had to go toe-to-toe with some of the best defense attorneys money can buy. Stress is probably not even the best word to describe all that she has shouldered.
As the sitting Vice President of the United States and as a former US Senator, she is privy to top national security secrets. She is aware of imminent threats. She has to maneuver and negotiate in one of the most toxic systems of power. Again, she is a woman of color. Facts that will never go away. The intersection of her biology and her work will always be a thing. She is now swimming in uncharted waters as the soon-to-be official Democratic nominee for the presidency of the United States. Personal attacks will probably never end until she leaves office and if she plays her cards right, that won’t be until January 20, 2033.
Again the word, STRESS, doesn’t begin to describe the half of it.
She’s carried the burden of countless victims and constituencies within the millions even before holding the second highest office of the land. As Vice President and potentially our next President, the world is now added to the number of people she is accountable to.
Her opponents want to drag her laughter but how many times has she cried? How many sleepless nights has she endured because of her chosen profession? How many times has her peace been disturbed? How many social gatherings and family events has she missed because of her public service? How many times has her mental, emotional, physical and spiritual bandwidth been spread thin? How does she maintain her sanity?
I don’t know her personally but I would gather that laughter is one of her several means of coping. Laughter is immensely effective at keeping us from crying. Don’t get me wrong, we need to cry. We need to express our pain and sorrow. There are stress hormones in our tears that are released when we cry. Crying though emotionally cleansing can be exhausting. There is still a stigma associated with crying. Many people try to avoid it. On the other hand, laughter in my view, is restorative, rejuvenating, and relaxing. But don’t just take my word for it.
I’ve culled a list of laughter’s health benefits from the Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Gaiam.
Enhances oxygen intake and stimulates many organs
Activates and relieves stress responses
Relaxes tense muscles
Improves mood
Improves immune systems
Helps social connection
Relieves pain
Works abdominal muscles
Lowers blood pressure
I will also add that even the VA-Veteran Affairs encourages patients to try laughter yoga.
The above list takes into account what happens to us physiologically but also has emotional and mental downstream effects. Laughter is indeed medicine for us individually when we laugh. I also happen to believe that when we observe the merry hearts of others it is also soothing to us. My father is a very lighthearted man. His laughter has always been soothing to me. When babies and young children laugh we can’t help but smile.
Laughter is powerful yet its purpose is somewhat inexplicable. We laugh before we learn to speak. Those who are deaf and those who cannot speak can laugh. I read somewhere that crying is a message from our bodies that it shouldn’t hold on to sorrow. Likewise, I believe laughter is a message from our bodies that we shouldn’t stifle delight and joy. Scripture says joy is our strength.
It takes a certain degree of strength to be accountable to the world. It takes a certain degree of strength to take on the grief and heaviness of victims. It takes a certain degree of strength to boldly take on dark, evil criminality plus cold-hearted corruption. It takes a certain degree of strength to break down barriers. If our Vice President were not strong, there is no way she could have persisted in this line of work for over 30 years.
I firmly believe that our Vice President’s laughter has been a tremendous asset for her well-being and persistence in beyond stressful roles. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that laughter has fortified her for the many moments when joy was no where to be found. I’m certain that laughter has helped her recover from the moments that were just too much to bear.
Anyone that takes on the cares of others, the cares of this nation, the cares of this world should be able to laugh. If they can’t, then the latter half of our opening scripture applies to them. A broken spirit drieth the bones. Those critical of the Vice President’s laughter are either devoid of joy in their lives or believe she is unworthy of experiencing and expressing joy. Whatever the reason, it’s a sign of a broken spirit that is quite unbecoming.
Fortunately and unfortunately, the swipes at her laughter are not new to our Vice President. While I’m sure she’d rather not entertain the desperate shots directed at her, it doesn’t appear that she is afraid to address it and continue laughing unapologetically. In fact, she’s already addressed it. Earlier this year, she shared in an appearance on the Drew Barrymore Show that she has her mother’s laugh. Unrestrained joy was modeled before her by the women she grew up around.
Whether or not she knows it, I believe her laughter is one of her superpowers. I believe my laughter is one of my superpowers. I believe your laughter is one of your superpowers. There is absolutely no need for our Vice President to stifle hers and by no means should we stifle ours. Our well-being depends on it.
Onward to laughter and Harmonious Balance, my friends!
Johanna
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