I’ve been adding fools a bunch lately.

Some have even become certified.

Part of the process of becoming a certified remarkable fool requires new fools to speak aloud The Ancient and Super Wise Oath of The Remarkable Fools Society.

Here’s the oath, read it aloud:

The perfectly imperfect, incomplete and limited fool that is me laughs at myself. I also recognize, celebrate and laugh at the perfectly imperfect, incomplete and limited fool that is you.

Omnes puppibus - everybody poops

The first thing to notice is how clunky this passage is.

Did you struggle? Screw up? Feel a bit foolish?

Hope so. This was designed with awkwardness in mind. It isn’t meant to flow well. Everyone seems to screw up when saying it. Perfect. It brings out imperfection.

The next part? The oath is relational. It’s meant to be spoken to someone else.

This is super important.

And it happened by mistake. I had no intention of creating an oath that had an implied relational aspect. And this has two.

The first, when it comes to foolishness is about accepting the foolishness, the limitedness and the imperfection of ourselves. This is about ‘how’ we relate to ourselves.

Once we’ve got that nailed, we can bring it to the world.

Start with the self, then move outward. Asking for perfection from others, speaks to a severe insecurity in the self.

And if you can’t notice that, you’re a base idiot, not a remarkable fool.

Find an idiot to say the words with.

Hell, if you teach, or lead groups, say the words together.

All of you.

And if just one person laughs, you’ve done enough.