“So keep fightin’ for freedom and justice, beloveds, but don’t forget to have fun doin’ it. Lord, let your laughter ring forth.” — Molly Ivins
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It occurs to me we’ve never seen a photo of President Gag either laughing or smiling, genuinely.
I have to conclude the man has no sense of humor and no ability to feel mirth.
Attempting To Laugh; Hurting Self
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And I’m not just talking about laughing at himself, which we know for a fact he cannot do. I believe he’s incapable of laughing at anything at all. Perhaps he has no capacity for feeling pleasure or lightness. He gets his kicks, apparently, only from accumulating things and triumphing over other human beings.
What psychological mis-wire or misfire can result in this? Here’s a quick online bibliography of articles dealing with the human need for laughter:
- “The Science of Laughter,” Psychology Today, Nov. 1, 2000
- “Why Laughing at Yourself May Be Good for You: First-Ever Study,” Time magazine, Aug. 9, 2011
- “Beyond a Joke: The Truth About Why We Laugh,” The Guardian, Sep. 1, 2012
- “The Science of Laughter,” BBC News, Sep. 11, 2016
- “One Neuroscientist Explains the Science of Laughter,” Here & Now/WBUR Boston/NPR, Dec. 13, 2016
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Hiller Holler
Three weeks from today, March 25th, the Book Corner will host an appearance by Nancy Hiller to celebrate the publication of her latest book, Making Things Work: Tales from A Cabinetmaker’s Life.
Hiller’s penned two books before this, The Hoosier Cabinet in Kitchen History and A Home of Her Own. She’s also edited Historic Preservation in Indiana: Essays from the Field. She appeared on my Big Talk interview show back on February 9th and my profile of her will run in Limestone Post magazine sometime within the next couple of weeks.
Nancy’s one of our town’s definitive figures. She’s made a name for herself fashioning furniture and built-ins for homes here and in other parts of the nation. Her trademarks are faithful historical accuracy and a remarkable attention to detail and precision.
Making It Work
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Her crowning literary work was A Home of Her Own. She wrote the book, working hand in hand with photographer Kendall Reeves, as a celebration of women who made their homes on their own. No, we’re not talking about pioneer log-splitters or modern day construction contractors — these women, on their own, bought and paid for and then created their own cribs. Here’s one Amazon review:
Nancy’s delightful, brave and original book… shows what comes about when women build their own homes. It breaks from the classic interior design format, so it has the missing bits included―mini-biographies of the individuals who have built against the odds….
Author Scott Russell Sanders says Nancy has “a storyteller’s feel for character. Here she offers us a gallery of women who have created distinctive homes, often in buildings that others had abandoned, sometimes after having been abandoned themselves, always with resourcefulness and imagination. As these women restore the outward fabric of houses and gardens and furnishings, they also restore the fabric of their lives.”
Making Things Work is treatise on qualities Hiller holds dear: hard work and honesty, told with an impish flair. “The title has a double meaning,” Hiller told me. “It is, of course, about the work of making things. But it is also an expression I use on an almost daily basis: Let’s just make it work.”
So, stop on by the Book Corner, 100 N. Walnut St., 812.339.1522, and get your signed copy of this or any of Hiller’s tomes. See you there.
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Trump attempting to laugh? He looks like he’s passing gas….