“One
of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled
long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re
no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has
captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to
ourselves, that we’ve been taken. We're dumb enough to sacrifice
common sense in favor of our pride. Once you give a charlatan power
over you, you almost never get it back.
“You
know why people bristle at you at times? You shove their face into a
pile of reality. Most people don't want to see it.” Jay tells me.
“Sigh,
I'm only trying to lift them up...” I say.
“They
don't want 'lifting up,' they want their dream...and you threaten
that. You threaten to wake them up.”
*****
Not
too long ago, I was helping this guy find a used car. I had advised
him to never set foot onto any new or used car lot
as these people are trained in all aspects of getting you to purchase
a car. If it's used, they'll get that car running just enough to make
it legal and hopefully last past the warranty. Why would any car lot
dump more money into a car than they have to? It cuts into profit.
“Get
a car off a private seller, they usually don't know how to fix or
hide major problems and they're not trained salespeople. You'll get a
clearer perspective on the whole thing.” I tell him.
No
matter. He went to a dealership.
So,
after he buys the car, he's showing me it and then the paperwork. I
ask to see his little check book they had given him to send money off
every month, for 60 months.
“Not
bad huh? $290 a month!” he beams.
“Did
you multiply $290 by 60?” I ask him.
“No...”
This car will cost you about, when you're done paying, $17,500.”
“But
I'm paying $290 a month.” he says again.
“...and
that's what you can afford a month right? OK, fine, but the car ends
up costing more than the list price of $14,000.” I say “You are
paying them for the privilege of using their money.”
“Did
the salesman keep harping on the monthly figure? Asking if the amount
was doable for you? Did it start low and keep getting higher?
I
got no response.
I
did it again. The guy's face sure took a different countenance in a
hurry. He wasn't ticked that he had to pay interest, he was ticked
because I showed him, forced him, take apart the deal he got and look
at it.
To
ease things back I say;
“Hey,
I said before it was up to you. I told you that if I had your only savings of $7,000, I would spend half that on a car, and I'd probably get something cheaper too. But you knew what you
wanted, so...” I let it drift off. There was no point to push this
any further.
*****
“You
just don't threaten their decision process Ron, you threaten their
WHOLE being. If that view of themselves is sort of filled with
delusions, fantasies and dreamy hopes that never are built and
launched, then having you around is a killjoy.” Jay finally sez.
Years
ago, I had heard of an old story about some who had come to finally
see Buddha and ask him a few questions, and I'm paraphrasing this.
“Are
you a God? They ask.
Buddha
replies, “No.”
“Are
you a prophet?”
“No.”
he answers
“Are
you an angel?” they ask
“No”
he replies.
Exasperated,
the questioners ask finally.
“If
you're none of those things. Then what are you?!”
“I
am awake.” Buddha says.
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