How to laugh at yourself (w/ Nuar Alsadir)

如何嘲笑自己(w/ Nuar Alsadir)

How to Be a Better Human

自我完善

2024-04-29

35 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Poet and psychoanalyst Nuar Alsadir believes there’s a thin line between comedy and the self-discovery often found in therapy offices. In this episode, Nuar joins Chris and talks about her book Animal Joy: A Book of Laughter and Resuscitation. They discuss the power of laughter, what it means to let yourself look like a fool occasionally, how to break down the facades we create for ourselves, and the unexpected revelations she had while attending clown school. For the full text transcript, visit go.ted.com/BHTranscripts.

单集文稿 ...

  • Ted audio collective.

  • You're listening to how to be a better human.

  • I'm your host, Chris Duffy.

  • I tend to approach the world through a framework of humor and laughter.

  • That may not be surprising, considering I am a comedian by trade.

  • But I really do believe in the power of laughter and of being willing to see the absurd and the hilarious, even when things feel tragic or intense.

  • Today's guest, Noir al Siddhier, wrote a book that I have been thinking about so much since I finished reading it.

  • It's called animal a book of laughter and resuscitation.

  • And this book, Animal Joy, it put into words so many ideas that I really believe in but hadn't ever been able to articulate in words before.

  • Noir herself is fascinating.

  • Her work connects some worlds that I think many people would be surprised to find sitting together.

  • Poetry, psychoanalysis, and clowning.

  • So here is a clip where Noir explains how she sees the interconnections between all three of those worlds.

  • When I was in clown school, the instructor kept referring to moments when the audience laughed as poetic.

  • What was interesting to me about laughter in the context of clowning is that people didn't laugh because something was humorous.

  • They laughed because it was true.

  • It was human.

  • It resonated with their own humanity.

  • And that movement inside of the audience members inside of their bodies is similar to what I value most in poetry, which is when you feel moved.

  • In fact, I would say, I would define what is poetry by what makes you feel moved.