Routine stands as one of the active forces that cradle daily life, offering a steady ground from which we navigate. We can almost predict the sequence of a typical day in a typical month, without anticipating disruptions that would abruptly break what we rely on as the familiar.
Around every day revolve preconceived patterns that set the pace for what will unfold. If that is the case, why do we crave surprises or enjoy being surprised by interrupting the calm of our routines?
What matters about a positive surprise is that it happens unexpectedly and at a moment that does not derail the central projects we are pursuing in that same timeframe; otherwise it becomes a negative surprise that disappoints our expectations.
When the surprise is anticipated, it loses its resonance. If we are certain we will win a prize, the reward loses strength. Yet if we are utterly convinced the prize is ours and it does not arrive, the resulting surprise becomes negative and can wound us deeply.
A positive or negative surprise would need to be joined by other kinds of surprises that together make up the full spectrum of this human emotion. A simulated surprise is perhaps one of the most characteristic in a society of pretense where the desire to appease others outweighs honesty and sincerity.
Simulations can carry many shades. Sometimes they arise from not wanting to disappoint the person who intends to astonish us. Take the case of a surprise party planned to honor someone, and we discover it by chance, but keep the act quiet and pretend astonishment when the moment of unveiling arrives.
Another common form of simulation happens when we meet an old acquaintance and explode with false joyful astonishment, accompanying our pleasantries with kindly phrases that mask the feigned shock of the reunion after so many years apart.
Despite our love of routine, most people also relish surprises: an unexpected gift, a letter, a thoughtful gesture from someone we once found disagreeable, a book that sparks emotion with every page, or a dream trip suddenly made real.
In these days when truth and opinion often blur, there is a growing need for emotional forgiveness. Surprises will come, that much is certain; what remains uncertain is whether they will be positive, negative, simulated, sought after, or merely false.