A Merry Heart

 

The bible says. “ A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones”. < Proverbs 17:22>

 

It is said that laughter is good medicine, but the devils, worry and fear, cause illness.　 Now, scientists agree with this proverb.  They are finding that laughter is actually an effective weapon against illness, stress and that negative emotion causes disease.  But this unbelievable effectiveness of laughter is unknown to us.  Today in the first half of my speech, I will tell you how laughter is effective for good health.  And in the latter half, I will tell you how can you have a merry heart.  I hope that you try laughing as therapy after I finish presenting my speech.

 

Laughter can treat diseases because it increases the activity of natural killer cells (NK cells).  NK cells attack infected and cancer cells.  In this way, NK cells make illness weaken and die out.  According to Sankei newspaper, Mr. A lives in Okayama.  He was a terminal cancer patient.  The doctor gave him only three months to live two years ago.  Then he noticed the devil named cancer was stalking him and plumbed to the depths of despair.  But he never gave up living.  He heard the news that laughter can treat cancer.   He stopped taking medicines, tried to view humorous videos and read humorous books.  He was laughing every day.  As the result, he gradually recovered from his cancer.  Now he lives in comfort.  Such cases are reported in the world as if God works miracles on our body.  That is to say, everybody can easily experience God’s miracles.

 

In addition to this, laughter can ease stress caused by illness because it reduces stress.  When we undergo stress, adrenaline that is one of our hormones rushes through our system.  Because of this, stress is building up.  So laughter reduces this and leads to getting rid of stress. IBM, General Motors and AT&T introduced the humor project.  This project is that humor counselors hold stress management seminars.  They teach that humor is a set of attitudes and learned skills that we must develop.  Many other employers are also turning to recreation and laugh to ease the stress toll.  Digital Equipment Corporation reported sick days dropping by half during the first nine months after applying these humor techniques.  Now it is easy to have stress in modern society.  Stress is stalking us like the devil.  If you make use of laughter, you can kill this devil.

 

In this way, laughter has a good effect on our body.  On the other hand, worry and fear make us an object of their evil design.  Dr. Locke, who is a professor at Harvard University, states that the activity of NK cells is decreased during periods of increased life change that were accompanied by severe emotional disturbance.  So these emotions weaken our immune system.  These devils reduce our body to skin and bone.

 

God had already taught us the importance of laughter like this.  It is all right.  Don’t you think so?  Laughter can cut devils of fear, worry, stress, and disease like a sword.  It is a weapon that God has given us.  You benefit from God before you know it, as long as you laugh.  So I want you to have a merry heart in daily life.

 

Try to view comedy and read humorous books.  I especially recommend you to go to Namba Grand Kagetsu (NGK) in Osaka and to view “Yoshimoto comedy”.  NGK is the famous comic theater in Osaka and “Yoshimoto comedy” is the most famous comedy in Japan.  Their comedians set the audience roaring with laughter.  Everyone easily understands their jokes.  If you visit Osaka, please go to NGK.  You may say, “I do not often go there”!  It is no problem because you can rent the video on which these comedies were recorded in a rental video shop.  If you do it, you can spend your happy life and keep your health.  Actually, this comedy can keep off devils.

 

Dr Itami Jinro, who specializes in humor health care, showed this fact.  After cancer patients saw this comedy, 90% of patients increased their NK cells and were revitalized.  So I believe this comedy can drive away devils.  Please view “Yoshimoto comedy”.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen!  Do you understand a merry heart is important?  God blessed us with this wonderful weapon in order to fight with devils.  Whether you make the best use of this weapon or not, it is up to you.  Please remember this proverb once again.  “ A merry heart does good like a medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones”.

 

This was the 3rd Prize of the Notre Dame Trophy 2001 (sponsored by ELAS of Notre Dame Seishin University)

 

 

 

解説 (このスピーチ作成者きのさんによる解説)

 

☆　このスピ−チは、綺麗なMonroe’s Motivated Sequence型のスピ−チです。

☆       今回はADを全面的に押し出しました。

☆       3と4のAD、5のDAを出すことによって、オ−ディエンスに笑うのと笑わないのとでは大きな違いだと見せる事により、心理的にADのインパクトを強めました。

☆       Ｓに関しては、大阪出身であり大阪の景気を良くしたいという願いもあり、まずは新喜劇を観に行こうしました。ギャグで反論吸収をいれて、テレビを観ようでも良かったのです。しかし、地方に行くとあまり放送されていないと聞いたので、レンタルビデオで借りようにしました。

☆       成功例は、こんな馬鹿みたいな（？）成功例はないだろうと見せたかったからです。これは冗談で、デ−タは使う人の見せ方や使い方で上手くスピ−チに取りいれることが出来ることを知ってもらいたかったです。

☆       最後に、このスピ−チは伝えたかったというよりも技術的に作ってみたかったスピ−チです。意外とあまり思い入れがありません。こういう意表を突くデ−タやなどを駆使して、ありきたりなトピックを面白させたスピ−チもあっては良いのではないかと私は思ったので、このスピ−チを書きました。