![\"WXComedy_embed\"](\"http:\/\/tembusu.nus.edu.sg\/treehouse\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/WX_pic1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nEntrance to The Comedy Cellar, an established comedy club in New York City. (<\/i>Image source<\/i><\/a>)<\/i><\/p>\n Done correctly, art often appears effortless. Whether music, dance, or comedy, virtuoso performers have a way of making difficult feats appear all too easy. An experienced comedian may give viewers the impression that he is simply speaking off-the-cuff, but nothing could be further from the truth. In stand-up comedy, jokes are all about timing. Comedians will write and rewrite a joke repeatedly to get the phrasing, the cadence, and even the number of syllables just right. None of this attention to detail will ever be known to the audience, but there is joy in the process of creating an original joke, and honing it to perfection.<\/p>\n Having performed stand-up, I found many parallels with the process of writing an essay or an article. At first, I had expected to feel nervous about the audience\u2019s reception, because as I\u2019ve already mentioned, the response of a crowd is an integral part of stand-up comedy. Eventually, however, I realised that I probably couldn\u2019t do much to influence the audience per se, and that it would be far better to focus on improving what I could control; the quality of my material. When the time came for me to do my act, I had already invested considerable time and effort in refining my jokes. This gave me the confidence to face the audience [2], regardless of how well I did.<\/p>\n Writing an article for Treehouse is more or less the same. I try not to get too concerned with how readers will respond to any of the things I write. Instead, I work hard to make an article as good as it possibly can be. So long as I\u2019ve tried my best to do justice to the subject matter, I am satisfied regardless of how many people read (or ignore) what I\u2019ve written. And once again, the process is often far, far more rewarding than the result.<\/p>\n This might seem ironic, but I take comedy very seriously. I think a comedian has a responsibility towards his audience. Some comedians [3] think they\u2019re superior to their audience, just because they\u2019re on stage holding a microphone. I couldn\u2019t disagree more. If anything, the fact that people are taking the time to listen to a comedian means that he (or she) has a duty to say something meaningful in return [4].<\/p>\n I firmly believe that humour is meant to help others. Comedy should be about empathy. This is why I tend to make jokes about school life, because that\u2019s something everyone around here can relate to. Studying in university can be stressful, and everyone is bound to feel overwhelmed at some point. But hearing someone talk about this publicly, and in a way that is lighthearted, can be a cathartic experience. It\u2019s comforting to know that one is not alone in feeling this way, and laughter can help us better deal with these negative emotions.<\/p>\n Louis C.K., performing one of his critically acclaimed stand-up specials. (<\/i>Image source<\/i><\/a>)<\/i><\/p>\n This is also why my favourite comedians are those who try to be personal with their listeners. There is an almost confessional quality to a monologue delivered by Louis C.K.<\/a> or Craig Ferguson<\/a>; they\u2019ll talk about their experiences with middle age and fatherhood, or make self-deprecating digs at their own shortcomings<\/a>. But you can tell that they speak from the heart, and that goes a long way to getting the audience to connect with them. The laughter they receive is created in good faith, often tinged with relief, camaraderie, or even melancholy.<\/p>\n Like many other forms of art, comedy offers the opportunity to lie and tell the truth at the same time. Many of the anecdotes and observations that a comedian might share are filled with half-truths and exaggerations, but this takes nothing away from their value as stories. And fictional or not, stories can help us make sense of the world, by showing us other points of view. Good stories make us reflect on the things we take for granted, or might be afraid of [5]. At their best, stories teach us how to live better. After all is said and done, what could be more important?<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n