One Of The Enemies Of Terrorism Is Humour

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 20 November 2024 Recently Haaretz, Israel's paper of record and the oldest continuously published newspaper in the country, quoted Saul Bellow's famous statement in the context of the ongoing conflict between Israel, Hamas and other 'terrorist' outfits: "One of the enemies of terrorism is humour. I don’t know why terrorists are not very good at it. Maybe they think that they don’t have time for it, that seriousness is what guarantees their seriousness, and seriousness, at least for them, entails insensibility." Here, Saul Bellow argues that humour serves as an adversary to terrorism. He ponders why terrorists seem to lack a sense of humour. Bellow suggests that perhaps terrorists believe they don't have the luxury of time for levity, as seriousness is essential to maintain their image of gravitas. For them, seriousness may be equated with insensitivity, a necessary element to perpetuate their acts of terror. Bellow implies that humour, on the other hand, has the power to disrupt the destructive mindset of terrorism by shedding light on its absurdity and challenging its seriousness. Thus, humour emerges as a potent tool in combating the dark forces of terrorism. So very true. We seem to have forgotten to laugh and banter. An Urdu short story writer put it succinctly, "Iss Daur Ne Insaan Se Uss Ki Hairat Aur Hansi Chheen Lee Hai " (This age has robbed us of our laughter and sense of astonishment). It seems as if a pall of gloom has descended on the whole world. Today, not just terrorists, all humans are devoid of laughter and humour. Humour sensitizes us. It's an antidote to all types and sizes of conflicts, small or big. Many religions often show god as someone stern and absolutely humourless. That's perhaps the reason why we're living in a completely humourless and violent world. When we dare not endow god with laughter, how can we expect laughter and merriment in our lives? All the miseries in the world are because of our flawed perception of god as a humourless being who punishes those who grin. To quote a Hindi-Urdu poet, "Itna Bhi Sanjeeda Nahin Khuda/ Hansta Hai Woh Bhi Yada-Kada" (God is not that serious/ He too laughs at times). The Buddha once told his favourite disciple Anand that the main reason to militate against the organized religion and its ritualistic paraphernalia was that, "I saw no smile and no laughter in a religion. This suffocated me. "" Only with a laugh, you tide over the toughness of life, " the Buddha further explained. Laughter is the celestial music of the Kaainaat, universe, and Arq-e-Wajood, an elixir of existence. Rumi saw god's smile in a streak of blitzkrieg in the sky: Barq-Un-Falak, Tabassum-E-Khuda Ast. The concept of laughing Buddha in Feng Shui (always pronounced as Fung Shoi ) came into existence long ago. In the Pitakas, scriptures of Buddhism, and Jataka traditions, the Buddha is known as Smithaasya, smiling in a beatific manner. Nowhere will you see a Buddha idol with an ashen face despite the Buddha calling pain the core of human life and leaving the world in search of the ultimate Truth. That's the kernel of life: smile, laugh and also put a smile on your god's otherwise emotionless, blank face. He wants to laugh. Once laughter or humour is spiritualised and religiously consecrated, the violence in the world will automatically lose its sting and intensity. Laughter defangs the serpent of aggression, acrimony, antagonism and all that's acidic and acerbic in this world. So, laugh to your heart's content. Men have already shed more tears than all the waters lying in the great oceans. ---- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://www.newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/enemies-terrorism-humour/d/133760 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism