Humor is always good for us. When life is a piece of cake, humor shines like diamonds on the calm ocean. But on the other hand, when the going gets tough, humor turns into a life jacket that keeps us from sinking. People like fun and amusement. Our sense of humor tells others that we are easy to be with and open to all kinds of interaction. In school, a happy and interactive class is open to new ideas and humorous ice-breakers always warm up students. In the workplace, it is humor that keeps the atmosphere light during stressful situations. Also, people who have shared laughter together share a special bond about their relationship. When we are children, we have no difficulty bringing laughter into our lives. We laugh at everything and we play for mere pleasure. As we grow and mature, we slowly cheat ourselves out of the child within us. As a result, our desire for humor and laughter is constant and we try whatever we can to get the lost pleasures of childhood back. It is possible for each one of us to be humorous, but we must have a burning desire to be so. You must want to make others happy as well, just like a humorist. A good humorist learns to interact with his audience. He produces laughter and excitement in the audience. Then he leans back, making as if to let the audience take over. Next he would pretend that it is not he that makes them laugh but they laugh of their own accord. Pretty amazing, isn't it? Still, what matters most is your intention to be humorous. What does the expression "the going gets tough" in the first paragraph most likely mean?