Blog #3 Group Skills

            A crystal ball dominated the center of the table, surrounded by understated tea lights. The rest of the room was dark; I had forgotten to light the candles.

            “This is creepy,” the woman said.

            “Don’t you want your fortune read?” I asked.

            “I’m not sure.”

            “I promise, it’s all completely true. Besides, you need to take more risks in you life. Little Scarface didn’t see the Hidden One without having convictions and standing up for herself. It’s important that you state your own beliefs and opinions having to do with my suggestions. That advice was free by the way.”

            “Fine. What else can you tell me about my future?”

            “The crystal ball tells me… that you will become very, very wealthy. You are going to make millions in stocks and bonds.

            “Really?”

            “Yes. Unfortunately, I also see that you are going to lose all of that money. You are going to spend it all on chicken stock and James Bond.”

            “What?”

            “You are going to waste all of your money on soup and 007 memorabilia. If it’s any consolation, I like your life-size cut-out of Halle Berry.”

            “That’s ridiculous.”

            “Even though it’s important to constructively analyze my prediction, I advise you to take it seriously. If you don’t, you may have the Story Spirits coming after you for revenge. You can’t keep your opinions stuck inside of you. You need to share your beliefs and interact with the beliefs of others. It’s important to be able to reach consensus.”

            “Well, you should know that I don’t like soup.”

            “In that case, it must not be chicken stock which you will waste your money on. My crystal ball is telling me that, instead, you will buy… thousands of pairs of nylon stockings.”

            “I do wear stockings.”

            “I knew it. By expressing our own opinions as well as being able to come to a consensus, we were able to effectively predict your future.”

            “I understand now. We needed to work together towards a common purpose, and we were able to do so by giving opinions and evaluating the opinions of each other.”

            “Exactly.”

            “Was this advice free too?”

            “If it doesn’t come true, it’s free.”