Laughter is the best medicine - having wonderful ideas | Simon Link | TEDxAmanaAcademy

Simon Link is a second grader at Amana Academy. He likes to make people laugh and will be talking about laughter. He is inspired by comedians like Bill Cosby, in addition to his father and grandfather. Making people laugh connects to the EL design principles of "Empathy and Caring" and "The having of wonderful ideas."

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Hello, my name is Simon Link,

and I think that making
people laugh is really fun.

I would like to share with you
how I got inspired to make people laugh.

I got inspired by my dad

because he's funny
and makes me laugh all the time.

I also got inspired from my grandpa
because he tells funny stories.

I think that people like to laugh

because it's really fun
and makes people feel happy.

You should make people laugh
because it makes them feel happy.

It also makes them feel better
when they are crying.

You may want to make people laugh
because it can get you new friends.

You feel happy when you make people laugh.

I want everyone in my school to laugh,
so I'm going to do this thing

called "The Joke of the Day,"

where every Monday someone goes
on the announcements and tells a joke.

This would be a good idea because
it connects to having wonderful ideas

because it's a good idea,
but kids will also think of them as jokes.

It also connects to empathy and caring
because you make people feel better

because you care for them.

Now I'm going to try
and make you laugh a little bit.

(Laughter)

What do people from the olden days say
when they see something funny?

(Audience) What?

Simon Link: That's historical!

(Laughter)

Why did the farmer name his pig "Ink"?

(Audience) Why?

SL: Because it kept running
out of the pen!

(Laughter)

SL: Why did the elephant cross the road?

(Audience) Why?

SL: Because the chicken was on vacation!

(Laughter)

The other day my teacher asked me,
"If you have one dollar

and asked your dad for another dollar,
how much money would you have?"

I said, "One dollar."

My teacher said, "Sorry son, it seems
as if you don't know your addition."

I said, "I know addition,
but you don't know my dad!"

(Laughter)

(Applause)

One time I asked my teacher, "You punish
people for things they didn't do?"

The teacher said, "No! Of course not!"

I said, "Good, because I didn't
do my homework!"

(Laughter)

(Applause)

What happened when the teacher tied all
the students' shoelaces together?

(Audience) What?

SL: They had a class trip!

(Laughter)

What do you call a pig that knows karate?

A pork chop.

(Laughter)

Why do bees have sticky hair?

(Audience) Why?

SL: Because they use honey combs.

(Laughter)

How do you make a tissue dance?

(Audience) Oh no.

SL: You put a little boogie in it.

(Laughter)

(Applause)

Last night I had a dream
that I ate a 30-pound marshmallow.

When I woke up, my pillow was gone!

(Laughter)

This summer I got a little injured
and I had to have stiches in my lip.

My lip was all swollen and big.

It looked like I
was about to kiss someone!

Do you know what my cousin
wanted to call me?

(Audience) What?

SL: Smoochie!

(Laughter)

I was thinking when people asked me
how I got stitches in my lip,

I wouldn't tell them
how it actually happened.

So here are some things I would tell them.

My brother was fishing and he swung back
and the hook hooked onto my lip.

Then he swung it forward,
and it threw me into the ocean!

Then, I went bonkers
and tried to kiss a shark.

(Laughter)

The shark bit my lip and threw me to land.

Or ... it happened like this.

I was cutting some tomatoes
and I accidentally swung

the knife too high
and it knocked my eye out

and my eye scraped my lip.

You may be wondering
why I still have two eyes.

It's because I got my eyes
sewed back to my brain.

(Laughter)

One time, I was minding my own business,
combing my hair in the bathroom.

And my dad comes in and shouted, "Boo!"

It scared me so much
that it made me throw the comb.

The comb bounced off the mirror

and landed in the kitty
litter box in the bathtub.

What is the skeleton's
favorite instrument?

(Audience) What?

SL: The trombone.

(Laughter)

When my grandpa was little,
he wasn't very smart.

(Laughter)

He had a lamp in his house
that had four lights in it.

One of the bulbs was missing.

His parents told him never to stick
his finger in the socket.

He needed to know why,

so he stuck a metal hairpin in it
and got shot across the room

and slammed into the wall!

(Laughter)

Another time his uncle told him never
to go behind the cow and pull its tail.

As I said before, he needed to know why.

So, you may be thinking
this will be going badly.

You may be right.

He went behind the cow, pulled its tail,
and got kicked into a pile of cow manure!

(Laughter)

Thank you. I hope I've inspired you
to make people laugh.

They say laughter is the best medicine.
Go forth and make someone laugh today.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

(Applause)

(Cheers)