I would like to take this opportunity to give a public thank you to anothr cyberspace friend, Hollowfox, for sending some WONDERFUL vintage Black books from her collection.

One of those books is the classic "The Book of Negro Humor" by Langston Hughes. All the chapters of that book are pertinent to this discussion. One of the chapters is entitled "Laugh and Live". Another chapter "Nothing but the Blues" has this quote describing its content

         When you see me laughin'
         I'm laughin' to keep from cryin"

Langston Hughes writes, "The blues are usually about very sad subjects-like being broke, hungry, or brokenhearted, left lonesome in love but almost always there is something in the blues that makes people laugh, or at least smile. And is their music is always a will to live."

end of quote

So another reason for humor is to help us strengthen our will to live-IN SPITE OF the difficult times.

Azizi