"You are not angry with people when you laugh at them. Humor teaches tolerance"

Laughter often softens the divides between people. When responding to others with humor instead of anger, the emotional distance that anger creates is replaced by a lighter, more humane connection. Sarcasm and ridicule can certainly be used as weapons, but genuine laughter at others, especially the sort that reveals shared imperfections, is rarely rooted in malice. Rather than standing in judgment, the one who laughs accepts the quirks and foibles of human nature. By laughing, we accept that mistakes and oddities are part of being alive; instead of reacting with hostility, we choose amusement.

Humor's power lies in its ability to deflate egos and dissolve tension. When finding amusement in situations involving others, even those who frustrate us, we acknowledge our shared fallibility. Anger tends to inflate the sense of self-righteousness and separateness. It frames others as opponents or wrongdoers. Laughter, in contrast, disarms resentment and allows individuals to see themselves in the other, to recognize that sometimes we too might be the subject of laughter. This reflective quality encourages humility because it reminds us that none of us are infallible.

Furthermore, humor can be a concealed form of empathy. To laugh at someone without unkindness requires recognizing their humanity, granting them permission to be less than perfect without condemnation. Such moments foster patience and perspective. Through mirth, flaws become less threatening and more a normal part of the human tapestry. Over time, a culture or person shaped by humor will lean towards tolerance because they understand that foibles and blunders are universal, not cause for anger or moral outrage but for understanding smiles and gentle amusement. Ultimately, by choosing laughter over anger, we cultivate an environment where differences are approached with acceptance rather than judgment. This is the essence of the tolerance that humor encourages, recognition, goodwill, and the wisdom to laugh together rather than quarrel.