Pranks are mischievous acts that can be very funny. Pranks are seen to be very childish, maybe because they start happening when we are younger. There are few people who can say they haven’t been pranked or haven’t pranked someone in their lives. Why is tricking people so funny? And why is pranking so embedded in our nature that someone in the world decided to honor this peculiar human urge with a day of celebration (April 1st)?
How I celebrated April Fool’s Day
For me, pranking is an act of lying with good intentions and the hope that the person we pranked will also find it funny. But how do I lie to myself? And is the joke really that funny?
Lies I have told mys
elf:
• “I have it all under control” vs “I don’t know what to do”
• “I know everything there is to know about XY” vs “I don’t know anything about XY”
• “I am fine” vs “I am not fine”
• “I take myself seriously” vs “I don’t take myself seriously”
• Making false assumptions vs seeing everything black and white
• “I am a happy person” vs “I am not a happy person”
• “I am developing all the good habits” vs “I don’t have any good habits”
• “There is something wrong about with me” vs “I am the best”
All these examples are extremes and I start lying to myself when I allow myself to live in one extreme, fully out of balance.
Our life is a unique recipe made out of many ingredients. That recipe can work only if we add and mix specific quantities of those ingredients. If we add too much or too little the dish might be ruined and that can affect our well-being. Living in one extreme just makes us more vulnerable to being pranked/lied to.
It’s like I am gluing the door to its frame and when I want to open it’s stuck! I am shocked that the door doesn’t open as I expected. I start forcing the door, which creates stress in my body, ultimately setting me in an annoyed state. I give up! Another side of me comes and laughs “HAHA, FOOLED YOU! I sent you through the wrong door, and that’s really funny! HAHA!”. Why is that funny, again?
Finding the middle ground between two extremes
Instead of “It’s all under control”/ or “I don’t know what to do”, I can say “I have control over my life (reactions, decisions, etc.). I am aware that there are things I can’t control. And I am ok with that.”
If I position myself in the middle, I hold balance and it becomes harder for someone or myself to fool me!
How do you lie to yourself?
Is there something you recognize in the list below?
“I can’t do this, even if I want it really bad”
“I don’t need to learn/grow anymore”
“My life is ruined”
“I can’t change”
“I did everything I could and it’s still not fixed”
“If I put it under the rug it will go away”
“It’s true because I see it like this”
and the list goes on….
Pranking can be very fun and memorable, but it also has a dark side. If it’s pushed too much, it can transform into bullying that is far from funny. When it comes to the self, we can innocently laugh at ourselves sometimes, but if we do it too often we are at risk to become our own bullies.
