"You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything, even poverty, you can survive it." Bill Cosby
Do you ever have those days when you just wish it was over? Everybody has, me including. This quote from Bill Cosby really struck me. It's so inspiring, but also challenging. In Ishmael Beah's memoir A Long Way Gone there are many examples of finding humor and happiness in bad situations. Ishmael Beah is telling his life story of being a young boy facing war, death, and loss everyday, but he doesn't forget to tell of the better times in his journey.
One of my favorite times in the book is shortly after Ishamael finds some old friends from school. They are walking along the road and here a strange noise and quickly hide, only to discover that what they had feared was the Atlantic Ocean. Ishamael writes, "My eyes widened, a smile forming on my face. Even in the middle of the madness there remained that true and natural beauty, and it took my mind away from my current situation as I marveled at this sight." (59) He goes on saying that he and the other boys played and laughed and sang songs from school. They boys were terrified of the unknown, but they found joy through it all and it allowed them to escape the horrible situation they were in. Many times Ishmael and his companions escape the wrath of angry villages. After being let go from one village the boys laughed at what they had gone through to keep themselves from crying. This embodies Bill Cosby's quote. Ishmael and the others found humor in their situation to survive everyday, day by day. It was so heartwarming that even through the chaos and war the people never lost the essence of their culture. In various villages, the boys would feast and dance with the people. They would celebrate, laugh, and tell stories. When the boys would leave they would carry their happiness with them on their journey.
Ishmael's struggle to find his way and to survive was worse than the average person could even imagine, but he showed strength through it all. Like in Cosby's quote it is those who can find happiness in any situation that will survive and be stronger.
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While in many instances the boys’ laughter and happiness was short lived, the fact that it was present showed the strength that was in those young boys. Without the few outbursts of joy, the boys would have been forever surrounded by gloom and Ishmael might not have survived the war. But with the presence of laughter Ishmael and the boys were able to see that the world was not always a bad and scary place, and so were able to pull themselves through those hard times on the memories of their happier past. The laughter also reminded the reader that Ishmael and his friends were still young boys trying to survive in this dangerous world full of fear and death. In some cases, it is actually easier for children to laugh as opposed to grown ups. This might also have played into the survival of Ishmael, because while he was able to laugh and let go of his fear, older people could not let go of their past that easily. Holding onto all the horrors they saw most likely led the adults to their own downfall. In short, it is like that saying “laughter conquers all”.
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