The Best Kind Of Idiot

If you’re a Sufi, or have at least heard of the great Rumi, then you might also know about our dear Nasruddin!

The main protagonist in many Sufi fables, Nasruddin is the quintessential spiritual fool; bumbling around causing all kinds of strange havoc and somehow always teaching us a valuable lesson in the mean time…

Nasruddin is an idiot: self-confessed, unashamed, fearless. That’s the power of his character and his journey. And that’s why we listen and learn from him.

I too want to be such a fool! Truly!

Foolery, to me, is perhaps the highest art form after all. Stand up comedy, in much the same way, is equally profound.

So how to become an idiot? And how to make it worth your while?

Here’s a few ideas to start you off:

1) declare your mistakes - tell the world about your tiny failures and, if possible, laugh at yourself while tell them.

2) try new things! The first stage of learning (absolute beginner) is the surest way to create idiotic, amateur (and hilarious) experiences for yourself. Don’t get too good at something. Mix things up. If you’re an expert barista, for example, then use your left hand. Etc etc.

3) be with new people… strangers are the best mirror there is. Everyone has a story and their own set of profoundly foolish contradictions. So ask questions. Drop your own beliefs and listen! You’ll easily discover what an idiot you can be, and what an idiot your new friend is also.

Democratic foolishness is the best kind of democracy!

These are easier said than done. Trust me. I try and fail every day…

But, like anything, it’s a practice. And practice makes perfect!

My final suggestion?…

Track Nasruddin down online! Sufi stories, poems, fables, retellings etc are everywhere. Rumi’s collections still sell millions of copies every year, after all, even to this day.

So good luck dear reader. Be unkind to yourself. Play the fool. Play in any way you can. Begin something new.

You’ll be a total idiot in no time, I’m sure. The best KIND of idiot there is. The idiot you always were and always will be.

WOOOHOOO!

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