One critical point in my life occurred three decades ago, during a psychedelic group session with high-powered Canadian and foreign business tycoons.
The event took place in a Baltimore suburban residence during an excellent and elaborate soft-shelled crab dinner. All of us -- supporters of and adventurers in mind-expansion - enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion on the limitations set by culture, religion and patriotism. Eventually the evening developed into a kids' game between me and a successful and prominent broadcasting tycoon.
The game? Mental marbles -- scrambled dull pale grey in colour -- were divided evenly between us. My intellectual opponent, quickly and with little discernable effort, started winning these short contests. Obviously he knew a great deal that I didn't about acquiring things. That was when my first intelligent insight hit me. What to do when playing on unfair territory? Change the rules.
As the exciting game progressed, I introduced a red marble. My opponent, who had garnered almost all the original marbles, was flummoxed. How much could all the marbles on earth be worth when matched against the only scarlet agate on the planet?
A lengthy but friendly debate ensued, with me acquiring just over half of his victorious marble empire in exchange for my single red marble. The price for each of my new ceramic creations rose as the contest progressed. As day turned to night in the long hours following, my cerebral coloring wealth-creating idea (continually producing new products) continued. His winning ways also continued. Eventually I lost my valuable orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet marbles.
He then asked to see my emerald agate, even though I had never indicated that such a treasure existed. My cerebral challenger had wisely calculated that the green marble was all he needed to win. He would then possess the celestial rainbow, which would give him full control of the psychological "outside the envelope" world we had together created. (check when color became available on TV).
He ran into trouble when I suggested that he didn't have enough marbles on the table to purchase the world's only emerald marble -- even though he possessed all the wealth in our world, except my last colorful dynamic ceramic green marble!
The game ended in a draw. Although he had the wealth of the world, he was still short of the one unattainable treasure he longed for like a lost love. I, the loser, was still holding a treasure wealth could not buy.
As the years passed, we discovered we both had a strong preference for green. Whenever we meet we simultaneously think of the green marble. I, with ample but much less, have more. He, who owns much more, has less - in my eyes. Perhaps a fair victory -- or tie - for us both. I am satisfied.
The most amazing thing about this marble mind-game? It was conducted with minimal verbal conversation.
Mind meld is out there.
