Rick Nicholson - The Monday Morning Memo

In the rabbit hole last week, Jeff Sexton wrote, “…it’s something special when you want to own a piece of accoutrement from a fictional character. Wanting to own James Bond’s watch. Or the same model.”

I saw this happen and wanted to share.

I was helping a used furniture and liquidation company in 2013. We were called to clean out a house of a recently deceased man.

An old rusted boat on a teetering trailer was in the backyard. It hadn’t seen water for 14 years. The grass had claimed ownership of its hull.

The boat was avoiding the water. It no longer ruled the waves and everyone knew the tragedy of this once beast of the beach.

We’re valuing the boat when the son proudly claims the boat is an exact replica of the James Bond boat in “Live and Let Die”.

Him: But it’s the Glastron GT-150

Buyer: Ok…We’ll give you $250.

Him: But, it was in the James Bond movie

Buyer: (not trying to upset the seller) Right…

A nosy neighbor pokes his nose an hour later, and comments on the rusted piece of crap as well. We talks at lengths about it being in a James Bond movie.

The $250 offer was for the trailer. The liquidation guy didn’t even want the boat.

We left not agreeing on the price of the boat/trailer, but agreed to come back the next day to clean out the house.

When we arrived, the son informed us the boat sold for $2000.

The new owner now owned a piece of James Bond, no matter how old, crusty and useless as it was.

Fascinating. Now I understand why, thanks to Jeff Sexton.

“Seek the teacher who is a mentor to apprentices. She will give you expert advice and examples, then evaluate your ability to do as she has taught. Her name is Wisdom and you should always listen to her voice.

But Wisdom’s teacher allowed young Wisdom to follow any path she chose! Wisdom learned her lessons from Consequences, the greatest teacher of all.

Wisdom can give you interesting examples because of all the fascinating things she learned from Consequences. You will know you are in the presence of Wisdom when you see her scars.

Wisdom and Consequences are happy teachers who guide students through the adventures of life.

A sad teacher repeats what she’s been told, then grades you on how well you can repeat it back to her. She is a parrot, and she teaches other parrots.

A smart person makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes that mistake again.
A wise person listens to a smart person, and learns how to avoid that mistake altogether.
A fool listens to a parrot, and believes what he is told.

“But wait a minute, didn’t you say a wise person listens to a smart person so they can learn how to avoid the mistake altogether?”

“Yes, but the parrot is not a smart person. She never made the mistake and learned from it. She is simply repeating what she’s been told.”

“And why is that dangerous?”

“When the experience of Consequences has been removed from the classroom, the majestic principles of Wisdom quickly degrade into small and silly rules.”

The great fire-breathing dragon becomes a tiny lizard that lives in a little rulebook.

Every bureaucrat was once a young parrot taught by a sad teacher.

But was there ever a child who, late at night, lay under the covers and dreamed of someday becoming the enforcer of small and petty policies?

No. But there are children who were unlucky enough to be protected from Consequences by a misguided someone who did not understand the value of scars.”

- Roy H. Williams, Sept 30, 2018