World stories

For centuries stories have been told and retold throughout the world. How come? Because they are entertaining, for one thing. Another reason is that they deal with the human condition, one way or another. Even animal characters in stories act out the situations of our own humanity.

The struggles of life have been with us for centuries as well. Wars. Pestilence. Relationship scuffles. All of which beg for some direction, some assistance. A resolution of some sort.

Needless to say, no one cares to listen to preaching. We desire to sweeten our bitter medicines. Enter laughter. It is the honey in the brew. Witty humor is priceless humor. A unique combination.

As you know, laughter lightens the heart. Laughter takes the sting out of life. And everyone loves to laugh at the foibles of our own species (as long as it happens at the expense of another). This is priceless humor.

Look around you at the great humorists. Art Buchwald. Mark Russell. Garrison Kiellor. Check out the humorists of history. Mark Twain Henry Fielding All of them were storytellers. Painting scenes with priceless humor.

What makes priceless humor? There is a simple answer to this question. Priceless humor revolves about common everyday experiences. The lost keys. The comic situation. The laughable consequences generally follow in quick succession.

You will find lots of priceless humor in urban folktales. My CD Parking in Manhattan illustrates many humorous circumstances. Folks can relate to and empathize with the characters involved in these hilarious comedies. Priceless situations create priceless humor.

You can also find many examples of priceless humor in world stories. These stories always bring gales of laughter when they are told. Two good examples from my CD Fables in Four Minutes are “Rock Soup” and “Herschel in the Woods” Listen to “The Egg Seller” or “Hickory Dock” from World Full of Stories. These are just a few examples of priceless humor. You will find yourself remembering these stories for a very long time. You can find priceless humor and more at www.jaystetzer.com.

I listen to lots of conversations. They are laden with disasters and catastrophes. The conversants generally cannot see the life lesson they offer. It is my job as a storyteller to sort out the meaning from all the information I hear. To make the tale palatable, I inject a bit of humor. Making the story priceless with priceless humor!

There is priceless humor in virtually every genre. Why? Simple answer number two. Laughter makes learning easier. There is often a lesson to be learned through a story with priceless humor. It just goes to show what a treasure priceless humor can be.