Let’s talk about the fool.
Clown. Joker. Trickster. Idiot…
Wise in their stupidity, holy and offensive.
Some people call me the space cowboy. Don’t pity the fool, because everybody plays the fool.
And then, some aren’t playing…
The fool is zero in the deck. The number of ultimate potential. The wild card. The fool can be anywhere and is ever present. The fool is the beginning, or the end, or anywhere in the “fool’s journey” in between.
The fool is a fakir; a magician who changes the reality of single mind or an assembly with a trick. The fool plants the seed of a tree of questions, each question a possibility.
The fool is a shaman who drinks poison and turns it into medicine. Drink puts the fool between this world and the other. Drink lubricates a fool socially, that they may put a room at ease with a joke. They inhale the negativity of the world, and exhale humor. And this… is not without cost. But I’ll gladly pick up the check if you leave feeling lighter.
The fool is the eyes and ears of the court. You’re watching the fool, but they’re reading you. The court is the fool’s mirror; their reflection in each one shows what secrets are hidden. Speak to the fool truthfully, or lie and show an even deeper truth.
The fool speaks truth to power (it’s part of the job). However, the fool is aware that the axe is ever present, so best that truth is honeyed when spoken to those with the most to lose, lest the axe sever a head… or a friendship.
The fool is loved and hated, ignored and promoted. But the fool is always present, always watching, and listening, and learning. What’s in their bag of tricks? What’s in their pocket?
To underestimate the fool is… well, foolish