There is pain in laughter. This is probably why the funniest people are quite often the saddest. There are quite a few examples. Robin Williams. Owen Wilson. Jim Carrey. Ellen DeGeneres. They are brilliantly humorous with perfect comic timing and amazing delivery. But their humour comes from a fairly dark place. This prestigious list of people has suffered through depression that has made them resort to humour while attempting to stay sane. 

Robin Williams could do only so much before he succumbed and took his own life. He was a man who lifted numerous spirits with not just his movies but also some quotes to speak his mind. 

• If women ran the world, we wouldn’t have wars, just intense negotiations every 28 days.
• Never pick a fight with an ugly person; they’ve got nothing to lose.
• When the media asks George W. Bush a question, he answers, ‘Can I use a lifeline?’
• What’s right is what’s left if you do everything else wrong.
• Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’

And then some profound ones gave you a glimpse of the pain he was going through.

• The worst thing in life is to end up with people that make you feel all alone.
• I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy. Because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless, and they don’t want anybody else to feel like that.
• Don’t associate yourself with toxic people. It’s better to be alone and love yourself than surrounded by people that make you hate yourself.
• You will have bad times, but they will always wake you up to the stuff you weren’t paying attention to. 

Robin Williams made thousands smile and laugh, but not many were aware of his struggles and pain. He was sad and funny at the same time. In fact, his life is a testimony to the fact that these two feelings can coexist. At the same time, he tried more than most people to spread joy around the world. His dark days did not stop him from being who he wanted to be – the person who made others smile. 

Be funny. That was his motto in life. Carpe Diem every day. Whatever else he was going through, it is now believed that making others smile made his day. His whole world revolved around how he made strangers feel. He was clearly fighting a lot more than anyone else knew, but he fought it to the best of his ability with that smile on his face. 

That is a lesson that we can all learn in life. We get so bogged down by the pressures of life, thinking that they are the be-all and end-all of life; we do not realize our ability to destress if we just put our mind to it. In many ways, it is similar to a woodcutter stopping work to sharpen his ax. When you bring humour and laughter to your lives, you will be amazed at how much more you can push. It’s like a punching bag, if you will. Some try yoga and some boxing. By being funny, you let out this side to you that can only make you feel so much lighter. 

We do not have to laugh only when we are happy. We can laugh to make ourselves happy. Be funny to make others happy. Try it. It’s time-tested and proven. 

You’re only given a little spark of madness. You mustn’t lose it.

Words to live by.