There are always things that keep you up at night…or in this case me. This time it was a YouTube video. Who am I kidding, it happens a lot. It talks about positive pranking; this is what I think about it.
I would like to start this ‘article’ off by synthesising a story that I read in ‘The Art of Possibility’ by Roz and Ben Zander. The story tells how this man goes to a burger place to get something to eat, with a seemingly homeless man counting his coins next to him. When he was going to pay for his burger, the homeless man stops him and tells him that he’d be paying for the mans burger that day. He protested but the homeless man was resolute in buying him lunch. It came down to it being the best burger he ever had, not because it was that much better cooked or anything, but mostly because he was able to appreciate every bite on such a different level. The homeless man got out of the diner quite happy that day, even if he hadn’t eaten.
Even though positive pranking isn’t exactly the same thing, it does also rely on the humanity and kindness in a person’s heart. Putting time and some money into making other people happy. Is it really so hard to put some time out of your day making yourself happy by causing smiles? It should really be something we strive to do passively once a week in the least and actively once a month. On the day to day it doesn’t have to do with positive pranking, but more on the level of just simple giving. From giving attention, to a lunch, to information, to a laugh; all of those are good ways to make yourself happy by making others happy. A smile, a laugh and that feeling of receiving human kindness (and giving) are very infectious and uplifting.
But now on to the actual title. A way for you to start spreading the smiles and ideas of positive pranking is this: Go to a supermarket, buy a few bags of cheaper lollypops, chocolates, or other sweets/things you’d like to receive yourself by a complete stranger. After than get into your car, or however you’re moving around and choose your targets. You’ll have a positive prank letter prepared for this occasion with your signature. Then when you leave a bag of sweets with the letter at the doorstep of the target after ringing the bell while running away. The video underneath has a good example by Hank Green.
Of course, this is one of many ways you can do it, but the basic idea is getting some prank, any prank, you know from TV/youth/etc, and turning it into a positive action, something to get a smile on your and the target subjects face.
But the next step: get ideas, write them down, prepare them and execute them. Once a month get on the way of making people happy, you’ll have fun, you’ll be happy, and you only need to pay small amounts of money. Finally you have to (ok, should, i just say have to out of choice) film the exploits, and share them for more people to be affected by the phenomenon that should be positive pranking. Tell your friends, involve them and get them to do it as well. If everything goes well, one day you’ll be positive pranked as well.
To finish it off I’d like to leave you with the video that showcases a YouTuber (Hank Green from the Vlogbrothers) who has TP’ed people’s houses. This is the video that made me think about the ‘issue’.
