You know, I think the term “playing the fool” may be getting a bad rap. It doesn’t have to be a bad thing; you might discover you can profit from it. Who knows, it might even (dare I say it?) help you grow a bit. 

Once, while on an elevator with one other person (Rule of Thumb: when only two people are on an elevator, everyone knows who farted), we stopped on an intermediate floor for a group of very well-dressed men. I didn’t recognize anyone, but since they were “suits”, that generally meant upper management. (This was back in the days when managers wore suits to work – you remember those days don’t you? Nowadays, when someone wears a suit to work, it’s a sure sign they’re interviewing for a job.)

Have you ever noticed how people will rarely talk on an elevator, even if they’re in the middle of a conversation? They’ll stop just as they get on and continue after getting off, but it’s like the elevator has a big invisible neon sign in it that says, “NO TALKING”.

Well, the ride upward continued in complete silence, even though I’d heard them all talking just before boarding. Weird. I wondered what everyone was thinking about. Some big deal about to go down? An impending layoff? Bowling scores? What?

As luck would have it, the elevator had only gone a few floors when it stopped again. The doors opened silently, and we had a great view of an empty elevator lobby. Nobody there; no movement; nothing. After a few seconds, the doors closed and we were on our way.

Out of the blue, one of them said, “Well hello, Harvey!*”

Everyone laughed at that, and then something interesting happened. They started talking to each other. In the elevator. With the doors closed, even. It was shocking, simply shocking, I tell you! Somebody call the Elevator Police!

Let’s stop here for a moment (sound of automobile screeching to a halt).

You may be saying to yourself about now, “OK, so what’s your point?” Well, my fine feathered friend, I’m so very glad you asked! (And you really should see a doctor about this talking to yourself thing.)

Back on April Fool’s Day (which was on April 1 this year) my friend Roger von Oeck posted (appropriately enough) Think Like a Fool, and it got me to thinkin’ (because thinking like a fool comes pretty easy for me). Take a moment to pop over and read it. (No worries; I’ll still be here.) Here’s the money quote (at the bottom of his post):

“The great benefit of the fool’s antics and observations is that they stimulate our thinking. They jolt us in the same way that a splash of cold water awakens us when we are drowsy.” [emphasis his]

Does the idea of playing the fool seem like anathema (an ancient Celtic word that means Not me, Bubba!) to you? It’s not that hard to do, you know. Sometimes it can be as simple a thing as letting your guard down a bit in public. To basically let you be you.

Here’s an example. Most people are naturally a bit reticent around strangers (I mean “people they don’t know”, not “strange people”; if you’re bothered by strange people, you’d better get off the internet now, and don’t look back). But, have you ever found yourself waiting for something with a group of complete strangers (for instance, waiting for a store to open its doors)? I guarantee sooner or later people are going to start talking to each other.

It may start with a less-than-pithy observation: “I sure hope those sales people have their clocks set right; I’m freezin’ my butt off here!” Then, someone else will agree with, “Yeah, the weatherman said it was going to stay cold all week.” And they’re off! Pretty soon the whole group is talking, and voila! you’re suddenly in a warmer, friendlier place than you were just a few minutes ago.

Really, it’s just another way of looking at things. Try it, it’s easy.

The Rest of the Story

After that group of men got off the elevator and the other person and I were alone again, he turned to me and asked, “Do you know who that was?”

“No,” I replied, wondering why I should care.

“That was (name of the CEO of the company)!”

“!” I glibly responded.

But oddly enough, I think I learned something. I realized that it actually gave me a certain amount of comfort, knowing the “top guy” in the company I worked for had a sense of humor. Interesting, don’t you think?

Not So Fast, Bubba!

OK class (lest you think you’re about to get off easy) here’s your homework assignment: Think of a time when you (or someone else) “played the fool”. Consider it carefully. Now, what lessons can you (or did you) learn from it? Write a 1000-word report outlining all the details, using examples from real life. All reports are due by Monday morning at 8 am CST.

Don’t worry, I grade on a curve; and by the way, I am open for bribery (oatmeal raisin cookies and Blue Bell Banana Pudding ice cream will do nicely). Thank you.

* A reference to Harvey (1950), the classic movie starring Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd, a likable, mild-mannered man who also happens to have an invisible companion named Harvey, a six-foot tall invisible white rabbit. Really.