Sixth on Alain de Botton's list of Modern Virtues: ' Humour '

Humour
" Seeing the funny sides of situations and of oneself doesn’t sound very serious, but it is integral to wisdom, because it’s a sign that one is able to put a benevolent finger on the gap between what we want to happen and what life can actually provide; what we dream of being and what we actually are, what we hope other people will be like and what they are actually like. Like anger, humour springs from disappointment, but it’s disappointment optimally channelled. It’s one of the best things we can do with our sadness."

​Here lies perhaps the dark reason behind many of our doings: that frustrating gap between reality and our expectations. Since disappointment is inevitable, we have no other option than to try to live with it, right? 
​Getting angry is an understandable response but does not contribute to our quality of life.
A much better way to tackle downers, indeed Alain, is humour.
But the cheerful approach is rarely congenital. I believe that humour can be considered an advanced skill. It takes dedication and practice to be positive and light-hearted, to note the funny side of situations.
I also believe this virtue has/can to be learned.

:))
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