National Chicken Little Awareness Day

National Chicken Little Awareness Day

NATIONAL CHICKEN LITTLE AWARENESS DAY 

The sky is falling on April 9 because it's National Chicken Little Awareness Day! This quirky day celebrates the world’s most famous alarmist—a folk tale character who constantly thinks the world is coming to an end. Whether you’re a "glass-half-empty" kind of person or you just enjoy a good overreaction, today is your day to embrace the panic (and then hopefully laugh it off).

#ChickenLittleAwarenessDay

We all know the story of Chicken Little (also known as Chicken Licken or Henny Penny). She is the main character in the famous tale about jumping to conclusions and how a one misunderstanding can cause a lot of chaos. National Chicken Little Awareness Day isn't about the character, it's more about the lessons one learns about the dangers of irrational fear, panic, and jumping to conclusions based on misinformation. The day emphasizes critical thinking and discourages "sky is falling" alarmism.

Did you know? An "alarmist" is someone who is considered to be exaggerating a danger and so causing needless worry or panic.

The original story of Chicken Little dates back to Aesop's Fables and Tibetan folklore. The original story focuses on the moral of the story--a warning against believing everything you hear without proof. Ironically, we live in a time where misinformation and untruths are everywhere. People experience emotions and form opinions without researching the truth. 

In an age of 24-hour news cycles and viral rumors, we need this day more than ever to to remind ourselves not to succumb to mass hysteria or fear-mongering. Today, on April 9th, take a deep breath, look up, and realize that 99% of the time, it’s just a stray acorn.

You Might Be an Alarmist if: 

  • You assume a single sneeze is the start of a global plague...

  • Receiving a "We need to talk" text from your boss makes you start updating your resume immediately...

  • You assume society has collapsed and start hoarding canned beans if the Wi-Fi goes out for 10 minutes...

  • Your think your house is haunted because the floorboard creaks loudly while your house settles...

  • You assume a friendship is over if no one likes your picture on social media...

  • Your favorite streaming app suddenly stops working and you can't find out why...

  • You’re 10 miles away from home and suddenly can’t remember if you turned off your coffee pot...

If you checked 'Yes' to more than three of these, congratulations: you are officially a Chicken Little All-Star! Grab your helmet and find a sturdy table—or, better yet, just have a snack. Most of these 'falling skies' are just acorns in disguise!"

5 WAYS TO CELEBRATE CHICKEN LITTLE AWARENESS DAY

  1. Wear a bicycle helmet or a colander on your head for your morning Zoom calls. If anyone asks why, let them know you're celebrating National Chicken Little Awareness Day!

  2. Sit with friends and try to come up with the most ridiculous, over-the-top "sky is falling" explanation for a minor problem. If you're out of coffee, you can say the global bean harvest has been seized by space pirates! 

  3. When a panic thought hits, stop and ask: "What is the physical evidence?" Usually, the "sky falling" is just a stressful email or a late bill and by identifying problem, you bring it back to it's small size.

  4. Force yourself to imagine the best possible outcome in an anxious or stressful situation. 

  5. Share you Chicken Little moments and tips on social media using the hashtag #ChickenLittleAwarenessDay!

HISTORY BEHIND CHICKEN LITTLE AWARENESS DAY

While the original 'Chicken Little' who founded this day has kept their identity under wraps, their intentional message is clear: Don't let the acorns get the best of you. This is a take a deep breath day to fact-check the fear and celebrate the fact that the sky is still exactly where we left it.