Sometimes You Can't Take Things To Seriously - tricks to keep your sanity.

INTRODUCTION:

How much of what you see or hear do you take seriously? Meaning, to the point that it has some impact on your life. I have heard people discussing and even arguing about topics they heard on the news or at work. The best argument is when people debate which news media network gets the story right. Those are the best. Basically, no one in the argument has any idea what they are talking about because they believed everything they heard and took it seriously.

Someone plays a joke or prank on a friend, and it causes an argument. Whatever happened to people's sense of humor? Does it even exist anymore? Rumors are the best because most people will believe them to be true. The sad part is, in many cases, all of the above happens to hurt someone else. Is it possible that what might have been intended as a joke was taken seriously by the other person? Happens all the time. Some people in the world take everything seriously. They cannot separate a joke or prank from reality. This has broken friendships. Family members have not spoken for years because of this. Frankly, life is too short for all this drama. So, let's try to understand it.

THE NATURE OF PEOPLE:

We must understand that two people can be similar, but no two people have the same nature. In this case, I'm referring to their sense of humor. How many times in your life have you said to someone, "Come on, can't you take a joke?" Unfortunately, the answer to that question is, some people cannot take a joke. What's worse, these are the people that are targeted the most because others know it's easy to get to them. Now, is that playing a joke, or is it cruel?

For you, life may be a carnival. Something you live through by having what you determine for yourself as fun.

However, your definition of fun or funny may not be the same as some else's. There are some givens. Meaning, in certain jobs, the new person will have jokes or pranks played on them. Ask any rookie firefighter. It's part of the initiation to the job. As long as it's in fun and not something hurtful or cruel, it is innocent. However, when that line of being deliberately mean or cruel is crossed. Rookie or not, it is no longer fun, nor is it innocent. We have all heard the phrases, "Thick-skinned, or thin-skinned." That is not to be taken literally. It does mean one person's skin is thicker or thinner than any other. It means one person can take more than another. Meaning, a person with thick skin will take longer to become angry.

Believe it or not, there are many documented cases of people getting seriously injured by a practical joke. Therefore, care needs to be taken. And physical injury is only one form of injury. There is also mental injury. An injury that is directed at another person's emotions. A good example of that is bullying in school. Maybe because they are the smart person in the class, or they dress differently. They may be somewhat overweight or considered the "Nerd" for any number of reasons. The bottom line is, they get picked on. In today's society, bullying is not tolerated in schools, IF it is reported. Bullying has led to kids committing suicide, becoming seriously injured, or suffering from on term emotional problems. Some that may not manifest for many years.

THE CLASS CLOWN:

The class clown is not limited to a person in a classroom. It could be the jokester within a group of friends. In every group of friends doesn't seem that there is always that one person who tells the best jokes, or plays the best pranks, that one person that makes everyone laugh. However, is everyone really laughing?

So laugh to go along with the crowd when the truth is, they are uncomfortable with what took place, especially if they were the victim or target of the joke or prank. When you go to a comedy club and get front-row seats, it's almost expected that you could be at a higher risk of the comedian picking on you. I remember when my ex and I were in Las Vegas. We were compted front row seats, center stage, to see Don Rickles perform. Everyone knows he picks on people in every audience. Well, of course, as luck would have it, halfway through his performance, my ex-wife had to use the restroom. Can I tell you, I knew she would become his target as soon as she stood up. When she did, it started. He picked on her all the way out as she was walking out of the theater. Now, she was a great sport about it. Comedians do know how far they could go with someone. My ex had thick skin and went along with it. When she was walking back to her seat, he picked on her until she sat down. Even she was laughing. Shortly after she sat down, he stopped, but he would throw a comment her way now and then.

When the show ended, we got up to leave. We were approached by someone from the staff who asked us to please come back stage with them for a moment. Much to my surprise, when we arrived, Don Rickles was standing there and handed us a bottle of champagne as he thanked her for being such a good sport. He chatted with us for about 15 minutes, thanked us again, and on our way, we went. The moral is, "SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T TAKE THINGS TO SERIOUSLY."

HOW DO WE KEEP OUR SANITY?

There are a few tricks to keeping your sanity.

Determine validity - just because someone says it doesn't mean it's true
Take things for what they are. - A joke is a joke
If you aren't that way, first talk to the person in private and ask them to stop
Understand that sometimes you might do something stupid, causing people to laugh
Be able to laugh at yourself
If you can't handle it, do not put yourself in those situations
If you are the class clown, know the people you play jokes on. Be sure they can handle it

These are just a few suggestions, and they are all common sense and do not need further explanation.

IN CLOSING:

The circumstance surrounding what we take seriously is dependant on many factors. Your mood at the time. The type of day you had, how much you drank, and more. The key point is, knowing yourself, knowing your limits, and voicing them appropriately and at the right time. No one likes being called out or embarrassed publicly. You always have the option to make an excuse and leave. You can talk to the offending party another time.

However, jokes and pranks are just one aspect of what we should and should not take seriously. Many day-to-day life circumstances are another, what you hear on the news, what you see at work, what you see others do. Like Denzel Washington said in an interview. "Sometimes, it's not about the truth. It's about who reports it first, whether it is true or not."

The media has a great tool at their disposal. They can report it and recant it later. Therefore, what you choose to take seriously or not is part of your responsibility, especially with all the different stories and opinions about Covid-19 vaccines, boosters, masks, etc. Unfortunately, they can't get their story straight from day to day. Therefore, sometimes you have to wait a bit and see how things play out before choosing what is fact and can be taken seriously. Open eyes and ears are a pathway to the mind. Nothing more. It's the mind that determines the rest.

Stay Safe and be well,