The Significance of Laughter in Community
By David Stoner, Fellows Class of 2026
On the Chattanooga Fellows opening retreat, I found myself sitting in a room with 13 strangers, many of whom I met only days before, laughing my heart out. There were lots of emotions felt that weekend - sadness from the brokenness that was heard in our stories, anger at my trusted teammate who stabbed me in the back during a board game, and even fear as I entered the category 4 white water rapid while the person paddling beside me already fell out of the boat. But even after all these changing moments and emotions, the first thing I said to my friends when they asked how the weekend went was, “we laughed a lot”. Of all the initial thoughts to have, why was that my response? Because joy and laughter are significant in building a community.
It is crazy to me how close I already feel with the Fellows. I have only known them for 2 of the 275 months that I have lived, yet in my mind, it is hard to imagine ever not having the accountability, encouragement, inside jokes, and memories that have come with my new friends. And while the reasons for this closeness are many, I have begun to see that one major factor is our special ability to laugh together.
Someone once told me that, “Laughter is the closest point between two people”. This quote highlights the commonality that is found between two individuals, no matter how different they are, when they share in laughter. In order to embrace vulnerability, there must be a sense of trust and a feeling of connection – a common ground. Laughing at something together (no matter how silly or strange) automatically brings a “you too” moment of connection for two people that is associated with joy and relivable in their head. This common ground opens the door for vulnerability, accelerating friendship and fostering community.
So as I reflect back on my first takeaway from the fellows retreat and how close I feel with my class, I now see how appropriate it is to thank God for joy and laughter. We often think that it is the hard moments shared together that really bring people close. While that is certainly true, the Chattanooga Fellows program has shown me that God equally uses the lighter moments, when we are laughing joyfully at the silliest things, to bring people close to each other and close to himself. Thank you, God, for creating laughter and using this hilarious Fellows community to reveal yourself more truly to us all!