Who Controls April Fools Day?

Yesterday was April Fool's Day. As a child it seemed like an opportunity to attempt to tell lies and get away with it, but as I have begun to put away childish things and realize the juvenile nature of that, I began to see the holiday as more of a way to play practical jokes. The mere thought of practical jokes makes some people I know become very irritated.

I personally have always enjoyed a good practical joke, both those I have dished out and those I have received. Perhaps that is indicative of my personality, whereas others may enjoy a less chaotic style. I think some people value a lack of chaos or being in control. Now, everyone likes having control of certain aspects of their life, so I don't want to oversell that, but it is kind of amazing to me the trepidation with which people enter situations over which they have no control.

There is a general terror in this society over things that you cannot control. It can be observed throughout culture, whether in the television shows that are produced, books that are written, managerial decisions that are made, and travel routes and modes that are taken. We do not like being in situations that we cannot control.

Lately, however, this has been bothering me. Because if there is any situation where we think we can control it, we deceive ourselves. The reality is that we are always in a situation where we do not control anything, we just usually refuse to recognize it. Having said that, this is probably just as well, or we might have everyone walking around as paralyzed as Bob Wiley.

Noone really wants to walk around that paralyzed. We all want to feel like we are in control. This feeling of control is important enough that people leave jobs, start new companies, begin completely new industries, or just generally disdain the boss who doesn't recognize that control they so crave. So, we go through life attempting to feel like a big shot, and maybe, just maybe, someone putting us in our place with a well-timed prank is just what we need.