It's Tricky

There’s been a growing trend on social media over the last few years for pranking.

Sometimes the pranks are fun and funny and no one gets hurt. Troy Hawke is a lovely example of this where he acts as a foppish personal greeter.

As the founding and, as far as I know, only member of the Greeter’s Guild he positions himself outside well known high street establishments and simply welcomes people. 

His pranking weapons are a fetching silk smoking jacket and relentless good cheer. Dressed as a 1920s aristocrat he warmly greets the general public as they go about their daily business, gently bamboozling them with compliments about their sartorial choices and personal demeanour.

That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore 

Other pranksters are not so genteel. Sadly there are too many who are mean spirited and engage in ugly, abusive activity. In their race to scrape the very bottom of a deep and dry barrel they cause real damage.

Social media is new but pranking is not - it’s been around for ages. Ant and Dec have been doing it for ages, as have the JackAss team on the other side of the pond. Trigger Happy TV ("HELLO!") was the most visible perpetrator at the turn of the millennium, reflecting the new infatuation with mobile phones. 

But before then we had Jeremy Beadle. And before that Candid Camera. And I imagine on and on it goes. 

The main difference between then and now is simply that there’s more reach. We all got to hear, read or see Mizzy in action not so long ago. If we wanted to. And sometimes even if we didn't.

I'm A Joker

But I bet you didn’t know Arthur Conan Doyle was a practical joker and enjoyed a good old wind up. You certainly will know he was the creator of the fantastically logical Sherlock Holmes, you possibly knew he believed in fairies but I’ll wager good money that you didn’t know he was a prankster. 

And Arthur wasn’t just messing around. The prank I’m going to share with you marks him out as the OG. Ant and Dec don’t come close. Even teenage tyrant Mizzy needs to up his game to reach par with Arthur. 

ACD’s prank was deep. He sent an anonymous message to five of his friends. The note was short. It said:

“We are discovered. Flee.”

One of the five friends disappeared and was never heard from again.

What the heck had this guy done?!  Who did Conan Doyle knock about with? The mind boggles.

But we’ve all done stuff right? Maybe not enough to need a fully packed suitcase sitting by the back door granted, but none of us are blemish free.

Movin' On Up

This week’s top tip is to make peace with your past and move on. I'm thinking particularly about things you've done that you regret. When you've done something wrong. Hopefully nothing as heavy as Conan Doyle's friend must have.

When I say move on I'm assuming you won’t need to move on with a counterfeit passport and new family. But it’s good to let go of stuff and so many of us keep hold of negative thoughts about past bad experiences.

Letting go is good advice in general because time is moving on and we all need to adapt and grow with it. Especially if you did stuff that you weren’t proud of. And we’ve all been less than the best version of ourselves.

If you feel bad about it then that means you went against your own values. You know it was wrong. But it's important to remember that you are not the worst thing you’ve ever done. 

“The past is a foreign country. They do things differently there.” - LP Hartley

Make peace with the events of the past however that needs to happen. Yes, you did a wrong thing. Going over and over on it won't make it any better. Maybe nothing will.

The Future's So Bright

The future is happening and you’re part of it so look forward and move in that direction.

Instead of dwelling on (and in) the past, pay attention to the value you trampled on and align your future actions to it.

It's definitely better to get on with being the best version of you in today’s reality. Don’t hang around focusing on the old less decent version of you from back then. That person only exists in your head anyway. 

“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man” - Heraclitus

I’ve not checked but I’m pretty sure that quote applies to all people not just men. And all rivers. You probably still need to wear your wellies though.

Step into the stream as you are now and act according to now. Why not embrace the current world as it is and as you want to be? Prepare yourself for the future you’re already in. 

Dress accordingly and prepare your mind. Greet the day like Troy Hawke welcomes the customers to Primark.

“Have at it. Shoulders back. Smash it.”