Humor is a serious thing. I like to think of it as one of our greatest earliest natural resources, which must be preserved at all cost.

Thurber’s line treats humor not as a frivolous add-on to life but as something foundational—an early, innate human capacity that helps people endure fear, absurdity, and social strain. Calling it a “serious thing” underscores humor’s moral and psychological utility: it can puncture pomposity, expose contradictions, and offer relief without denying reality. The metaphor of a “natural resource” suggests humor is both precious and exhaustible—something a culture can squander through cynicism, repression, or cruelty. “Preserved at all cost” frames laughter as a form of civic and personal resilience worth defending, especially in times when public discourse hardens and imagination narrows.