St. Patrick’s Day couldn’t come soon enough. Half the country is giddy as the Trump administration undoes our reckless spending and $2 trillion deficits, which have resulted in a frightening $37 trillion debt. But the other half of the country is mortified by Donald Trump’s bull-in-a-China- shop approach to government and foreign policy. They’re angrier than a colony of ground bees after a landscaper’s blade ripped through their nest. We must learn from the Irish that neither overconfidence nor overreaction is good, that the only way to successfully navigate our lives and politics is to maintain a healthy sense of humor. The Irish have endured famine, oppression and war. Rather than succumbing to these miseries, they defied pain and suffering through their legendary wit. In response to famine: “We had three meals a day — one on Monday, one on Wednesday and one on Sunday.” On British occupation: An English general was asked, “What was the biggest problem fighting the Irish?” He sighed and said, “Bullets? We had plenty. Bombs? No shortage. But the Irish? They had something far deadlier … a sense of humor.” On war: An English officer asked an old Irishman, “How did you fight off so many invaders?” The Irishman smiled, “Simple. We invite them in for a drink, and by the time they sober up, they’ve forgotten why they came.” According to author Bob Callahan, the Irish influence on American culture is sizable. Nearly 40 million Americans have Irish ancestors. Irish vaudevillians, masters of knockabout physical comedy, influenced early Hollywood filmmaking and even gave birth to the newspaper comic strip. But it is the mischief of the Irish spirit and wit — the “hard-boiled, darkly humorous, racetrack-bitten” language of the Irish — that has really benefited America. Irish spirit and wit were the precursors to “brilliant, wisecracking Irish-Americans,” who were precursors to the gregarious American spirit and sense of humor. But are we losing the gift of humor? In these highly partisan times, when our candidates lose, we get lost in the narrowness of our own point of view, or we get cocky when our candidate wins. The Irish know better than to get too comfortable with success. They know triumph and disaster are different stops along the same road. As the Irish say, “Don’t break out the good whiskey just yet — wait until the bill is paid.” Here are some Irish lessons on how we can restore a healthy sense of humor: First, we must laugh at ourselves. The Irish love self-deprecating humor because it’s disarming and likable, as shown in this joke: “I’m not saying I’m unlucky, but if I bought a cemetery, people would stop dying.” Second, we must turn frustrations into funny stories, as this classic joke illustrates: An impatient man said, “Excuse me, how do I get to Dublin?” “Are ye walking or driving?” said the Irishman. “Driving,” said the man. “Well, that’s the quickest way then!” Third, don’t take life so seriously. Don’t sweat the small stuff, because life is hard enough already, as this joke reveals:  An old Irishman was asked, “What’s the secret to happiness?” He pondered for a moment, then said, “A short memory and a long laugh.” To be sure, America could use a short memory and a long laugh as we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. Tom Purcell’s column is distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons newspaper syndicate. The post Tom Purcell | Restoring Our Irish Sense of Humor appeared first on Santa Clarita Valley Signal. ...read more read less