The wisdom of fools

Yesterday was April Fool's Day (or All Fools' Day, or even April Fish Day (go figure) in some places). No one is really sure where it originated or why we really celebrate it (well, it's not a real holiday after all) or why it has any significance at all. But, little things like that have never stopped us before, and April Fool's is no exception.

We all think we know a lot of fools, sometimes that we're surrounded by them in fact. I would contend, however, that true fools are few and far between.

Anyone who has read any Shakespeare will immediately know what I'm talking about. My favorite Shakespearean fool is in King Lear, and he is simply known as Fool. How appropriate. The fool is the one who knows truth from lies, right from wrong, the fool is the one with comprehension, insight, and ultimately wisdom. Lear is really a classic example of foolishness gone wrong. Our tragic hero, sovereign lord of the realm, descends into madness after foolishly dividing his kingdom among two of his three legitimate heirs, all of whom are daughters. How could that possibly work out for the best? I know, William nailed it all in this one.

Lear, of course, as so many who are in power, succumbs to flattery. So many of us who pretend or even strive to power fall prey to this as well. Flattery, of course, is a form of dishonesty, and we see again and again that the root of almost all power structures, in particular hierarchical ones (like we find in government, business, the church, etc.), are based on dishonesty. Oh, I know we like to think that these representatives are well-intended, upstanding and forthright, but we all know different. Lord Acton spoke truth when he noted that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The forms the lies take vary naturally: sometimes they are simple omissions, sometimes slight (to major) shifts of emphasis, and sometimes they are simply outlandish fabrications, but we like to think that the perpetrators are being driven by forces greater than themselves, but they are not. And this where the fool comes in.

Not only in Shakespeare, it is the fool who is honest. It is the fool who not only calls things as he sees them, he is the one who sees them for what they are. It is the fool who is aware of the foils, the weaknesses and shortcomings of those supposedly in power. By virtue of his position - the Fool - it is he who may speak the truth, who may say how things are, without fear of reprisal.

Yes, someone must be allowed to speak the truth, and if it be the fool, then so be it. We live in very dishonest times. We are confronted with crisis after crisis all of which were brought about by the same weakness: the dishonest striving for power. But who is there to "tell it like it is"? Who do we have today who can speak unhindered and unabridged? Who can point out to us the error of our ways? We're in need, again, of the Fool. Or are we simply not listening?