But a broken spirit drieth the bones. This ancient proverb should certainly be read by the Palestinian nation; never was a truer word spoken, especially in light of recent events in the Gaza Strip. It means that laughter leads to a healthier perception of life and that those who lack happiness are generally weaker, not just physically but also psychologically.

We can all benefit from laughter and happiness, despite whatever struggles we are going through on a daily basis. Adopting a positive mental attitude, even in times of true adversity can help contribute to a stronger person who can appreciate the good in what they already have.

During my five months in Palestine, the kindness and hospitality of the Palestinian people has been very apparent and the society has some real strength which could help to contribute to an independent Palestinian state one day in the future. However, I cannot deny that time and time again, I have spoken with some people who constantly use the excuse of the Israeli occupation to justify ill behavior by Palestinians or as an excuse not to maintain law and order. It is this element of Palestinian society that I feel needs to be addressed by Palestinian society in order for a happier and stable future for the next generation.

Last Sunday, a group of friends and I went to a restaurant in Ramallah to watch a performance by an American-born Palestinian comedian, Aron Kader. Born to a Palestinian father and a Mormon mother, Aron was raised in the Washington DC area and moved away to Hollywood at the age of 19 to pursue a career in comedy and acting. By his own admission, having a Palestinian father and Mormon mother gave him so many reasons to go into comedy. The majority of his material is based on the misconceptions of the Arab world in the West, such as the common idea among Americans that Palestinians are from Pakistan. His humor, whilst using Palestinian society as its basis, was at no point offensive, but was very much a harmless depiction of typical traits in Palestinian society that really are amusing. However, behind the comedy, I realised that Aron Kader had a valid point; Palestine needs to stop always being the victim, Palestine needs to focus on its positive points and most of all, Palestine needs to laugh.

Even as the younger generations of Palestinians and internationals roared with laughter at Aron’s performance, there still remained a few people in the audience who did not laugh. Of course this could have just been that they did not find him amusing, did not quite get the western-style sense of humor or that they found some of his material inappropriate. However, Aron then spoke seriously about the need for more young talent to be born out of Palestine, such as a Palestinian Symphony Orchestra that could travel the world and wow the audiences. Almost immediately, five or six Palestinians on the next table started shouting “We do, we do, Ramallah has a Youth Orchestra already”. Again, I think they were missing Aron’s point; of course, it is wonderful that there is a youth orchestra already, but unfortunately they are not making headlines and touring the world. It would be a real benefit to Palestinians to gather together the talented musicians of Palestine, and believe me there are many, to form a travelling orchestra who can be just one face of the Palestinian people. That way, music would make the headlines instead of Palestinians slaughtering each other in the Gaza Strip. What better public relations could there be?

This week, we mourn the death of perhaps the greatest Palestinian poet of our time Mahmoud Darwish, who died on Saturday August 9 at the age of 67. Darwish was a real voice for the Palestinian people. In the words of poet Naomi Shihab Nye, Mr. Darwish is “the Essential Breath of the Palestinian people, the eloquent witness of exile and belonging, exquisitely tuned singer of images that invoke, link, and shine a brilliant light into the world’s whole heart. What he speaks has been embraced by readers around the world – his in an utterly necessary voice, unforgettable once discovered.” It is time that the next generation of Palestinians start to produce songs, plays, poems and dance, not just about the occupation, but about life itself. After all, life does not start and end with the Israeli occupation.

Palestine as a whole needs positive role models in all of its fields including politics and poetry. If as much emotion was pumped into education, sports and music as is into fighting against the occupation, then Palestine would be producing a whole new generation of talent that actually in the long term would be successful in more than just fighting and rioting. The Palestinian people would be able to stand on the world platform and present a developed and flourishing society ready to stand on its own two feet.

Unfortunately, Palestinians often focus on more trivial matters instead of on the big picture. Only this week, a friend of mine was walking down the street with a male friend and the Palestinian security officers questioned the two of them for walking together and demanded to know what their relation was to each other. They then proceeded to lecture the man on morality and how he should not be walking down a dark street with a woman alone at night. When I heard this, it really infuriated me. Surely the Palestinian security and police services have slightly more pressing issues, such as the Israeli occupation. This is not to say that a future Palestinian state should not have laws and morals to abide by, but at this point in time, Palestine should be focusing on building a unified society, one in which men and women alike can live freely and not feel constrained by not just the occupation, but also their own people.

It was so refreshing to see a young Palestinian man being able to laugh and not take everything so seriously. Whilst being talented, hilarious and extremely entertaining, Aron Kader still remained loyal to the Palestinian cause as was evident when he said that a large proportion of the proceedings from the shows he was doing would be going to support Palestinian people and organisations. He also said that he would return on a yearly basis, bringing with him American comedians and artists to see what Palestine is really like. He acknowledged that Palestine needs a lot of work and was not afraid to admit this; I think a lot of Palestinians need to learn from this and start adopting different attitudes.

Even if the Israeli occupation stays in place for another 60 years, this should not defeat us. Let happiness help define us instead.