We often say that something is as old as the hills. That does not include humor which coincides with the arrival of humans who alone are capable of laughter. In a poetic sense the hills may sing, but they don’t laugh
Although there may be earlier written accounts, the Bible recorded laughter in the book of Genesis 3800 years ago. In Chapter 17 Abraham “fell down and laughed” when a visitor told this centenarian that his nonagenarian wife Sarah would produce a male heir and thus create a great nation.
In Chapter 18 we read that Sarah laughed to herself when from the back of the tent she overheard the conversation of another visitor who confirmed the previous promise to Abraham. The Middle Eastern cultures of that day, and to some extent today, prohibited a wife from casual contact with a man other that husband or brother.
Finally, in Chapter 21 the promised heir, Isaac, is born and Sarah remarks, “God has brought me laughter.” Was there something funny about the new baby? No. Isaac means laughter, and Sarah commemorates her earlier reaction.
The Bible is not about humor or laughter even though the book of Ecclesiastes mentions that life provides a time to weep and to laugh. Rather, the Bible prefers to emphasize joy.
Tags: aging gracefully, humor, joyful aging, laugh for health, laughter, Life Enrichment, senior laughter
