Imagine all the people...

As my tentacles begin to stretch o'er and o'er the world, I realize some very interesting things about this culture of ours.
I like smiles. I really do. I think the deepest form of expression is the smile. Some people say silence, some people say touch. I think smiles tell everything: reluctance, sadness, fear, confusion, adoration, relief...
Also, is there any such thing as international humor? (Elaina says "Charlie Chaplin?" Why, because he doesn't speak a language?) Because, with me and stuff, I often come across foreigners with whom I'm trying to boast some sort of fun, when they'll go on and misunderstand a joke of mine, or try to joke about something that I just don't get. The more you try to understand each other, the more awkward it gets.
As always, the question is not complete without the curved-edges of Elaina's perspective: "Is it really real or is it just a fear that you think you might be misunderstood by them because they live all the way across the world?"
Um, no...I think it's pretty real.
I used to live with this fellow who never really fit into my country because his sense of humor was different. To get into details, it was simpler, more innocent, expectant, kind of childish. Maybe it was symbolic of his nature; he was a real helpful guy, but he did have a tendency to get kind of down because no one seemed to think very highly of him.
That's regretable--I wonder if we put too much stock in humor. I think I do. I think I label people by how witty they are; intellectually humorous. Maybe it makes me feel smart to understand their jokes. Maybe it makes me feel accepted or acknowledged, that they're trying to make me laugh.
And then I think some people (like me) rely more on inside jokes. Maybe they have no real sense of humor, their only fun is derived from rehashing places, people, things. Maybe they're the kind of people that burn up the stuff around them as opposed to burning outward from inside.
In any case, if you ever meet me, and I ever go off on some kind of joke that is obviously a joke but that you just don't understand, just smile, because I like that.