April 1 is the day where lying is kind of permitted – people would usually like to joke with each other by indulging in hilarious pranks.

However, jokes made on April Fool’s Day are no longer funny for the Lebanese people who got used to being lied on and who consider that daily unwelcome surprises and shocks are now commonplace.

Ghida Jbeili, Sawt Beirut International (SBI) reporter, asked some Lebanese citizens about the truth they wish it was a lie. “I wish someone would wake me up and tell me that what we’re living is a lie,” one citizen replied.

“In the past, we used to joke with each other on this day (April 1) but now, what politicians have done to us is the biggest lie,” she added.

“I wish the COVID-19 and the economic crisis were a lie. Now I can’t go to the university,” another said.

“The situation is so bad. They (politicians) made us feel sick about being Lebanese citizens,” one nurse said. “I’m one of the people who wish they earned a good salary so that I would not have to travel.”

“I wish President Aoun’s election was a lie,” another citizen replied, while many others wished the Beirut’s port explosion and the daily brawls over powdered milk and cooking oil were all a hoax.

Unfortunately, all these wishes stem from the people’s feeling of despair. Perhaps, the one thing they urgently need is to have a day of honesty.