Merry mishaps of life

Life should be about laughing together and being able to communicate daily in a positive way. Isn't shared humor recognition of shared experience and understanding? What I mean is you've probably been in a situation where you have seen a couple or more people roll their eyes when another person stares in bewilderment at a TV show, demanding, "What's so funny?" The reality is that the one person doesn't "get it" and the others do! This is a normal experience when you are living in a cross-cultural situation -- some share in the funny, exclusive experience.

Every culture has taboos -- respect taboos. Recognize the boundaries early -- they may surprise you -- and do not cross them. It is not worth taking the risk that your humorous approach will hurt your business partner, friends and family.

We have all heard the saying: Smile and the whole world smiles with you!

Smiles are contagious.

This is why if you are in a cross-cultural working situation or personal relationship, it is so important that all parties understand to some degree how the other views the world. When you understand and appreciate each other's sense of humor, you will enhance the way you communicate with each other.

It is not easy to live in another culture and try to understand the value system and how others will react to the world and its events.

Telling jokes in an international setting is risky. Let me clarify what I mean -- here's a joke:

A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. "But officer," the man began. "I can explain."

"Just be quiet," snapped the officer. "I'm going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back."

"But, officer, I just wanted to say --."

"And I said to keep quiet! You're going to jail!"

A few hours later the officer looked in on his prisoner and said: "Lucky for you that the chief is at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back."

"Don't count on it," answered the fellow in the cell. "I'm the groom."

Well, did you laugh?

May be it wasn't your type of joke. What may be hilarious to you may not be to the person next to you. Turks love Nasreddin Hoca and Temel jokes. The two are quite different: Fictional Temel jokes from the Black Sea coastal region are usually rather dumb and sometimes include off-color gags. On the other hand, Nasreddin Hoca, an Anatolian figure, is much more dignified. The way he gets his message across is unconventional with a profound simplicity.

Probably everyone knows American comedian Jon Stewart, famous for his political satire and host of The Daily Show. Some in his own culture may find him offensive, but the majority find him wildly funny.

Not every nationality uses sarcasm. It is said that it is the lowest form of wit and can be most hurtful.

If you are a fan of slapstick humor with intellectual stimulation, than Mr. Bean is right up your alley. British comedian and actor Rowan Atkinson's claim to fame is as Mr. Bean on the TV series Mr. Bean. Morticon, on a blog site for Mr. Bean, describes the show as being a hilarious show of ingenuity and very little brain power -- Mr. Bean is about a man named Mr. Bean (Atkinson) with a child-like nature. When faced with life's problems, he'll always be sure to come up with something inventive to assist him. Armed with his teddy and famous green car, Mr. Bean will leave you rolling on the floor!

It's not always easy to know what to do in your host country. Stuck between a rock and a hard place? Humor can provide a powerful mechanism to facilitate change. We all know there are clearly times when humor is appropriate and inappropriate. If you feel your spirit needs a lift get your hands on the Merry Mishaps of Mr. Bean or some other fun episode and have a good laugh.

"Humour purges the blood, making the body young and lively, and fit for any manner of employment." -- Robert Burton (1577-1640, English clergyman and scholar)