Even if he does find one piece of gold, or even if he does get that one victory, it won't outweigh all the time he spent in his robotic broken loop. Even when shooting a basketball haphazardly, the occasional basket will still go in. There is a reward just for trying. But only a fool would mistake that for the best method. (Though he is my friend, I would be a fool not to recognize that he is also a donkey.)

Closed Mindset Is Like Groundhog Day

As a young teller at a bank, I once had a customer come in with a check sent to him from a foreign country. He had won a lottery there, he said, and this was part of his winnings. He said he had to wire over a certain amount of money for taxes and fees, and then they would release the rest of the "winnings." He ignored all of our warnings and sent the wire. The check never cleared but on the other side of the wire, someone received real money. Though this customer got burned, he kept falling for the same scam. Like an automaton (Einstellung effect: mechanized behavior and thinking), he would come in, convinced this time was different. Eventually, he bypassed us by depositing it into the ATM and wiring the money at other branches. Not long after, his account was overdrawn and closed.

Since then, new rules and laws have been set to prevent such scams. People who would have never fallen for these scams are now subject to the same holds on checks, higher fees on wires, and scrutiny. Our customer was not alone. There were millions of victims (many with multiple incidents). They willfully closed their minds for the promise of a brighter wealthier day. (Look at that carrot, so close. I know it's a trick, but what if...)

Finding Fool's Gold in Brazil

In Brazil, I was almost stabbed and mugged.

I had gone to the birthplace of Brazilian jiu-jitsu for leisure and training. I met up with one of my local friends, and we went out to a bar. One of the most beautiful women I had ever seen approached me, and we began talking. She flirted with me in her broken English. I couldn't believe it, I thought I was dreaming, and I didn't want my dream to end. My local friend pulled me aside and slapped me in the face with harsh reality: Why would a local girl want some random tourist she doesn't even know? He was nice about it, he told me I was a nice looking guy, but I'm not that good looking. I don't speak Portuguese, so she has no idea how intelligent or charming I am. I'm not a soccer player or a movie star. I don't look fabulously wealthy, but I do look like a tourist with a few bucks stashed in my hotel. I almost gave him a "what if this time it's legit" statement but even in my head I sounded like a donkey.

Leaving Brazil, I shared a van with a guy who had a harrowing story. He was robbed, then taken to his hotel and robbed again, then taken to the ATM for several days, then finally stabbed and released. He was at the same bar I was, the same girl had approached him, the difference was he left with her. From there, he was met by two of her friends. Fooled by fool's gold, just like I might have been if not for my local friend.

Fool's gold is the inability to discern reality from wishful thinking. This is why new religions keep popping up and why a sucker is born every minute. We believe what we want to believe, in psychology this is referred to as motivated reasoning.

An open mindset is one ready to digest and adapt new knowledge. Tao or the Way is all about nothing. The value is in empty spaces. A box is useful because of the space inside. A cup is helpful because of its emptiness. A wall is valuable because of its doors and windows. The same is true for the mind. There is existing knowledge, but no matter the volume of knowledge, the value is in the empty space for more knowledge. This is an essential part of the Way. Cultivating a self that continuously gets better at challenging tasks. (A mind like a stubborn old mule has no value.) Many of these ideas will not be easy, but they will get easier if you work at them with the correct mindset. Exactly like martial arts: right mindset, the right spirit, supple body, and thousands and thousands of hours of practice.

Beyond the Obvious

See beyond the obvious opportunities and make educated decisions. The missing element of "should have known better" is education. When being fooled, there is often an exploitation of ignorance or sometimes willful ignorance. If you don't know enough about something, study and learn more before making a decision. Don't be greedy and chase obvious rewards. Put in the critical time and work it takes to get there honestly. Beware the pitfalls of convenient thinking and motivated reasoning. Convenience and motivation have no place in logic.

Don't be a donkey. Leave your ego and shoes at the door, just as you would at the training hall. Educate yourself or seek counsel, wait for emotions to subside. Cultivate clear-mindedness. If you can't educate yourself enough or can't think straight, then find others who can. And when you find them, especially be open minded when they disagree with you. Maybe they see an obvious pitfall you do not. The hard part, however, will be listening to their advice.

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