Watching movies in the U.S. is great fun because they get every

Hearken to the words of Jet Li: “Watching movies in the U.S. is great fun because they get every joke, they smile, they laugh so much; it’s a great feeling.” Though spoken in simplicity, these words carry within them the ancient thread of joy, the reminder that the communion of laughter binds people together beyond language, beyond borders, beyond all the divisions the world may set between us. The smile, the laugh, the shared delight in humor—these are treasures of the human spirit, untouched by the weight of politics or the sharpness of war.

For what is laughter, if not the song of the soul? Empires have risen and fallen, kings have fought over thrones, and philosophers have sought wisdom in silence—but in the sound of laughter, one finds the heartbeat of humanity itself. Jet Li, who walked between the worlds of East and West, saw how the audience in America, united in joy, reflected the truth that art’s power is magnified not in solitude but in fellowship. The great feeling he speaks of is not his alone; it belongs to all who have sat in darkened halls and felt the air tremble with a thousand voices rising together in mirth.

Consider, as an example, the plays of Shakespeare. In the Globe Theatre, rich and poor, noble and commoner, all gathered together in one space. The merchant laughed beside the lord; the farmer stood shoulder to shoulder with the scholar. And when a jest was spoken, or a clever twist revealed, all laughed as one. In that moment, the barriers between them vanished. What else could so powerfully unify souls so different? In this, as in Jet Li’s reflection, we see that laughter is not a fleeting amusement, but a sacred bond that reminds us of our shared humanity.

The ancients, too, prized this truth. Among the Greeks, the comedies of Aristophanes were not mere frivolities; they were the life of the polis, the place where citizens saw themselves mocked, celebrated, and reminded of their own folly. The laughter that shook the amphitheater was a laughter of recognition—of shared weakness, shared pride, shared life. So when Jet Li exclaims that the audience “gets every joke,” he points us to a deeper truth: understanding in humor is understanding in humanity. To smile at the same jest is to acknowledge that, beneath our differences, we are alike.

And yet, how fragile this gift can be! There are places where laughter is silenced, where fear chokes the voice, where the joy of art cannot bloom. History tells us of regimes that banned comedy, fearing that the shared smile could become shared resistance. For laughter awakens thought, and thought awakens freedom. Jet Li’s celebration of a people free to laugh together is more than a remark about cinema—it is a subtle hymn to liberty itself, for joy without fear is one of the highest marks of a free people.

The lesson is this: seek always to share in laughter, for it is not mere noise, but communion. When you gather with others to watch a film, hear a play, or listen to a tale, do not hold back your smile. Let your laughter join with others, and feel how it dissolves the walls between you. In family, in friendship, even among strangers, shared laughter creates bonds that no sword can cut.

And in your own life, be as the jester, the storyteller, the one who awakens smiles in others. For every heart carries a hidden burden, and a single laugh can lighten it. Do not underestimate the power of joy; it is as mighty as courage, as healing as compassion, and as unifying as love. Jet Li, in his wisdom, has reminded us that joy is magnified when shared, and that to laugh together is to live together.

So let this wisdom be carried forward: nurture joy, guard laughter, and cherish every great feeling born from a shared moment of delight. For in those moments, humanity is most itself—united, alive, and free.