Bright sparks of humour arise in direly dark situations

A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing. Laura Ingalls Wilder

The cliche-tic saying that every dark cloud has a silver lining has a side meaning to its direct one that it is never all dark; hope and joy will come forth. The indirect connotation is that something bright and beneficial will arise at the most dreadful of times. Spot on as regards the Covid 19 pandemic. With the raging infection and resultant several deaths and fear was a deeper bonding felt by people, whether of blood relatives or friends. Good health was appreciated more; doctors and health workers who fronted the battle and the army that assisted in vaccination were appreciated and thanked; metta and karuna arose in people’s hearts; and the incidence of flu and the common cold decreased.

Sombre, threatening clouds

The world, Ukraine particularly, and EU countries flooded by refugees made welcome this time around, are suffering greatly as a war of invasion rages quite ferociously in Ukraine. We in Sri Lanka are going through, as those who know say, the worst time in our post independence 74 years. That is obvious to even toddlers, some of whom are carried on mothers’ hips as they wait in line for bare necessities. Queues are formed in all parts of the country and for multiple needs. Many have admirably come forward from their comfortable homes to hold candlelit vigils in sympathy with their less privileged brethren.

Thrown up positives

Ukraine has thrown up some admirable persons and much endurance. Their President – Volodymyr Zelenskyy – a former actor, singer and comedian, has straddled the war-torn nation with his positive presence and addressed the nation about resisting invasion and fighting on as Ukranian David-like against Russian Goliath. He was advised to leave Kyiv by his people. Not I said he. And others followed: young women making Molotov cocktails in threatened cities and men kissing their wives and kids goodbye as they migrated to safe havens in neighbouring countries; the men opting to stay back to fight the invaders. Hence the admirably indomitable human spirit came to the fore. Ukraine not slinking away nor giving way to Russia has won the admiration of the world.

I wrote we Sri Lankans suffer greatly now. Is there a single benefit, sighted even as far away as the horizon? Yes – more than one. People have felt more empathy and sympathy for each other. Not advertised nor even made known but people have helped the poor, some of whom cannot afford one full meal a day, in contrast to a government that appears callous. Printing money to give handouts is in the short run more injurious that rumbling stomachs – resulting in all affecting inflation. Also many who spent on themselves to have good times as they earned enough through hard work, are cutting down on such.

The brightest silver lining to our dismal dark cloud of economic disaster and lack of essentials, milk for kids and medicines included, is that citizens have hopefully been taught to use their vote wisely. Sycophants will become rarer as the eyes of many will be opened. And perchance with the blessings of Almighty God or the Devas or the Hindu Pantheon, a better government of educated, wise legislators will be voted in. Families and grand groups holding mighty power will be disbanded if not destroyed.

Laugh when cornered; smile when deprived and despondent.

It happens invariably. Humour comes rising forth and laughter bubbles over. Worry lines and deep troubled facial furrows give way to relaxed smiling. People gather together, mostly in secret and while enjoying fellowship, make laughter at the expense of dictatorial leaders.

Two or three hilarious stories have emerged from threatened Ukraine. No wonder these are encouraged with an ex-comedian heading the country. Which fact brought on a sigh of sadness for incarcerated Ranjan Ramanayake who fought many a battle for the discriminated against, like maids unjustly punished in Saudi.

One Ukrainian story read about in a foreign paper was how their border guards defiantly stood against a Russian warship. This happened at the beginning of the expected invasion when a dozen soldiers stood up straight and shouted in stentorian unison: “Russian warship, go f…k yourself!” on Snake Island in the Black Sea. They gave those on board the third finger sign too. The audio of the audacious incident soon went viral and became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. The guards were thought to have been killed but were reported captured and alive.

The matter did not end there. Ukrposta, the country’s postal service, printed a new stamp commemorating the incident of defiance. It was created by artist Boris Groh and shows one border guard facing a warship, holding a rifle in one hand and the middle finger of the other stretched upward. Sewn in is the ‘order’ the guards gave the mighty warship. The humour here is heartbreaking, showing futile, pugnacious defiance but laced with earthiness – OK, obscenity.

Local bad times’ humour

I burst out with a loud guffaw when up came A WhatsApp message which I retail as remembered: “Henceforth the Finance Ministry will compute the Per Kaputa Income.

Another that popped up was a picture of supposedly our local James Bond, black bow tied and smart, with the accompanying wording

They call me 007

0 = oil reserves

0 = economic development

7 hour power cuts

These jibes and very many more, direct and dire, must be accepted for what they are: erupting anger and frustration diverted to humour, however black but causing a smile, a chuckle or an outright guffaw. One hazard of reaching top positions, it must be accepted by even the most staid and humourless leader, is being the target of criticism and jokes.

The appointment after the sacking of the two ministers recently of Pavithradevi as Minister of Power had a picture floating around of her throwing a generator, not a charmed pot, into water!

Sinhalese wits are particularly brilliant at wrenching humour from dire situations. The Sinhala language too lends itself to clever manipulation, twists, turns and abbreviations. Remember the TV series Always Breakdown parodying Prez CBK and PM – RW. It was said, Ranil W particularly, enjoyed the series and never missed an episode.

The British are known for their subtly clever wit. Example: the clever politically slanted 1980s TV series Yes Minister followed by Yes Prime Minister with a bumbling Cabinet Minister/PM – James Hacker (Paul Eddington), his sardonic Permanent Secretary, Sir Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne) and foolish behaving personal secretary, Bernard Woolley (Derek Fowlds)..

During the presidency of Donald Trump in the USA many a woman over there woke up with dread gnawing her insides as to what evil or stupidity the Trump would indulge in that day. Hence the jibes and jokes with him as target that sped around, even to far distant countries like ours.