It's probably the most precious thing we have achieved as humans. Looking around, it's hard to believe that we've achieved it at all, considering how many news stories, every phone calls and e-mails seem to be trying to deceive you these days. But consider for a moment that we wouldn't even have news outlets, phones or e-mails without these unprecedented levels of cooperation we humans are capable of. And although we have established mechanisms to also achieve a certain reliance on each other in low-trust environments, nothing beats the calm and safety that can be felt in a high-trust environment, if you can find a social group that supports it.
The problem with trust is that it's extremely fragile. A lot of it happens on a subconscious level and saying you trust someone is just the tip of the iceberg. Even if you commit to some action that involves trust in another party you might be nervous about this trust being abused. No matter how much people rely on each other, the deep fear that their trust is fundamentally built on a lie occurs on a completely different level, entirely separate from anything observable. Only once both parties have abolished that deep fear have they achieved perfect trust for each other, something which is extremely rare and thus very special. Some might call it foolish, because placing that amount of trust in another person allows them to hurt you in ways not even achievable through physical torture. Some might say that you should never hand someone that level of access to your soul.
But those who will call it foolish are the ones who will never achieve this level of trust with anyone and they will never experience the bliss of sharing that bond. Maybe you are among those who'd call me naïve for even suggesting to attempt something like that in this day and age, but my answer to that is that it's you who is naïve for thinking that your life is worthwhile without any such relationships.
And then there's April fool's day, an invitation to play with this fragile commodity as if it were one of your possessions. I used to like April fool's day, because I'm a joyful personality and some April fool's jokes are genuinely light hearted and fun. But that was before I understood what's at stake. When people lie to each other, there is the very real chance that this deep trust gets eroded even without the knowledge of either party. April fool's jokes can cause emotions that are very real in the moment and may affect one's emotional lives long in to the future, much longer than oneself is aware of it. Only a fool would cause such an emotional ripple for fun. Maybe that's the real reason it's called April fool's day.
Now you might say that, for a guy who draws comics on a .lol domain, you'd have thought that I'd be able to take a joke. But I'm not saying you shouldn't make any April fool's jokes, I'm the last person to fence off humor, I just want you to know what's at stake and why I consider it unwise. If you're still not convinced, you might be the type who also enjoys "social deduction games", like "Werewolves" or "Among Us", that game which became really popular during the pandemic. I despise these games for the very same reason. They celebrate deceit like it is a skill worth having. You excel at these games if you're proficient at lying to your friends. It's an activity that, like no other, emphasizes how you can never really know if people want to stab you in the back. You can't tell me this doesn't nourish that deep fear that your whole friendship is built on a lie.
One might argue that it's not uncommon to turn against friends in games. You don't usually hold it against each other if someone beats you in a game, because it's not real. If you're playing paintball with your friends, you're shooting each other and can easily laugh about it afterwards. But the key here is that lying to each other for fun is not like playing paintball. It's like shooting with live ammunition. There's no component there that protects you, your emotions or your relationship. It is actually you lying to to them or vice versa. It's only the reason for doing it that is simulated, but that doesn't protect anyone from getting hurt.
Now go ahead and call me a delicate flower for pooping on the party when people are having fun. But if you say that, I'll just know that you're reckless, ignorant of the risks involved and probably not someone I'd want to have a close relationship with. Please don't take this as me telling you what to do. By all means, go out there and play with trust all you like. Be a trickster, a prankster or even a fraud. I couldn't care less. But it's my decision who I want in my life and I prefer people who are aware of the value and fragility of trust. This is all I'm saying.
So I don't know when you're reading this, but if it's not too late, please think twice today before making a fool out of yourself.
