9. The Tribe of Greater Fools
Who makes thriving possible for the rest of the world?
This is for all of you who blindly believe in the force Love and Kindness on this Earth. This is for all of you who choose common sense over playing by the rules of the big world. This is for the ones who give their spot to the elderly in the bus, or in the queue to people who are in a hurry. The ones who freely do Good when no one else is watching. The volunteers. The open hearted. The dreamers. The wanderers.
Dear Fools,
Last night, an ugly truth summoned one of my dearest friends. He confronted it only to face an urge to throw up.
Trying to make sense of his experience I found an interesting connection between two apparently unrelated facts that I want to share with you.
That was disgust.
My friend felt disgust. He described it as an urge to throw up.
In our distant past, ruminating meant “Not Good”.
Say we wanted to consume a new plant. Someone would have to try it first, right? If it tasted good, the rest of the tribe could eat it, too. On the contrary — “Not good”, no food, next herb.
Back then speech was far from being a manageable tool. So, we would communicate through these symbolic actions. To show disgust, we would throw up.
We have the ability to self induce regurgitation. Only today, we don’t use it as much anymore. Thus, “firing at will” also had a deeper meaning — that the rest of the pack should protect themselves from the outlier thing/experience.
The person who would try out the plant would, in fact, protect the rest of the tribe. This way, they wouldn’t all get sick from from the same ingredient. Should it be a pleasant experience, though, the entire group would benefit from it.
Does this sound familiar, somehow? I’m telling you I had the same epiphany… Here it goes...
The Greater Fool
The Greater Fool Theory is an investment concept. It ilustrates that prices are set by the demand’s appreciations and not by the intrinsic value of a commodity.
In other words, the one who buys the product decides its value.
Say you wouldn’t pay $800 for a pair of Jimmy Choos, but you would spend it on a second hand car, for instance. You, the one who demands, determine a poduct or service’s value, its price.
When investing having that in mind, you might choose to invest in (the equivalent stock of) Jimmy Choo $800 shoes now, believing that, later on, you’ll find an even Greater Fool for whom these shoes (stocks) will worth a lot more — say $1600.
It’s speculation 101. You buy now to sell later, at a higher price. That simple.
Sloan Sabbith in The NewsRoom (Season 1, Episode 10) explains it best:
“The greater fool is actually an economic term. It’s a patsy. For the rest of us to profit, we need a greater fool — someone who will buy long and sell short. Most people spend their life trying not to be the greater fool; we toss him the hot potato, we dive for his seat when the music stops. The greater fool is someone with the perfect blend of self-delusion and ego to think that he can succeed where others have failed.”
Again, does this ring any bells? :)
Greater Fools have existed from our timid beginnings. They’re a euphemism for our could-bes. The manifestation of collective potential. The world changers. The daring ones. They’re the ones trying out the new foods. Those crazy, early adaptors. The unreasonable men still fighting long after the fat lady sang. The believers, the idealists.
They usually have the last laugh. They’re brave. And they keep the flame burning as long as the room needs light.
So, baby, remember when you said you felt like you’d been fooled? You were right.
Welcome to the Tribe of Greater Fools. Thanks to you, we can all believe and hope a little bit more, now.
Much love,
D.
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#Prodigality | #LettingGo | #Story | #Voice | #Freedom | #Besties | #Adventure |
