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Smile, it is April Fools’ Day
Uncommon sense to succeed in business and life
Only a month ago The Honest Thief did not exist. On February
21st the Wall Street Journal reported, “No one has ever heard of Pieter
Plass,” but now hundreds of news stories later, The Honest Thief is a
“serious player in the world of file-sharing.”
Our story was concocted similar to a meal in a pressure cooker:
we carefully selected our ingredients, turned on the fire, waited patiently
and voilà, dinner is served.
As there is the overwhelming mass of information that is showered
on society each day to compete with, you can’t just tap people on the
shoulder and ask them politely: “May I have a word?” So what do you do?
You become creative. Then, once you’ve got their attention, you need to
have a message: something that will affect them.
Well, guess what April Fools! The Honest Thief file-sharing venture
was no more than a publicity stunt.
Our goal was first and foremost to get some attention for our
book: The Honest Thief. Secondly we wanted to confront the public with
the practice of honest stealing: the tools that everybody uses to have
success. Very few people will openly admit that they use these tools. In
this respect our campaign was an attempt to create success to get our message
across: everybody, in one way or another, is an “honest” thief.
Whether we have failed or succeeded, we hope that people won’t
forget the honest part of honest stealing.
We salute those who can appreciate the campaign effort for what
it was. We thank all the people that have supported us. In the case we
have offended you by pulling your leg just a little bit too much, we
sincerely apologize.
Even in these very serious times, don’t forget to smile every
once in a while. It is April Fools’ Day so smile.
When we started our campaign there was no war in Iraq. At that point
we could not envision that the coalition forces would be fighting a
tough battle at this very moment. Based on these developments we felt
that it would be inappropriate if we would attract undue media attention
to our April Fools’ Day hoax.
You can’t have an April Fools’ Day hoax without pulling somebody’s
leg. In order to get our make-believe story big enough we did get some
help from the press. Needless to say, they were unaware of the fact that
they were actually part of the hoax. Reporters went to great length to
research our story and the legitimacy of our claims. In all fairness,
they could not have come to any other conclusion than that The Honest Thief
file-sharing venture was for real. Reporters did do their job professionally.
We would like to indicate that we value the efforts of the press and
that we have the highest respect for their work. Especially in these
times, there is an extra burden on them to bring us the latest news on
the state of affairs in the world. With hindsight, we would not have
developed our hoax the way we did.
For those interested, the book The Honest Thief is about uncommon
sense to succeed in business and life. We think of it as a travel guide,
a travel guide that is.
Among all those travel guides the honest thief should be able
to find that just right piece of inspiration to help him plan his next
destination. Inspiration may be provided by a bumper sticker, but just
as well by some unusual book. Once he has found a new source of inspiration,
the honest thief subjects himself to discipline and concentration in order
to reach his goals. He knows that these are prerequisites for learning and
growing and that he cannot solve problems without either of them. He also
knows that his life can only be successful if there is the possibility of
failure; there must be a chance of him losing his way.
The honest thief does his homework, makes plans and leaves nothing
to chance. He knows where to find what he needs and uses the opportunities
offered. He absorbs honestly stolen knowledge and in this way indirectly
effectuates his own happiness.
The honest thief sees each moment as a new beginning. His happiness
is not some vague goal, but something that can be achieved here and now,
something that he himself can contribute to. He knows that his happiness
is the logical consequence of his actions, of his way of life, based
on the responsibilities he takes and the choices he makes. His happiness
is the result of his own efforts. It is the reward for his victories.
His happiness consists of more than some well-deserved ecstatic moments.
His happiness is not hedonism, but eudemonism: enjoying the journey for
its own sake.
The honest thief should not lack a sense of humor and a bit of
self-mockery.
Always enjoy to excess!
Sincerely,
Pieter Plass
PS
If you like what we have done or if you are less enthusiastic,
feel free to send us an email. The best of luck and we wish you well.
In case you are wondering, yes, it could very well be that we are already
working on our next April Fools’ Day hoax! Be careful out there.
Although our campaign was a lot of hard work we had our fun.
The attitude of those who have contributed to the campaign can probably best
be described through a poem.
Youth
Youth is not a time of life, it is a state of mind; it is not
a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips, and supple knees; it is a matter of
the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of emotions; it is the
freshness of the deep springs of life.
Youth means the temperamental predominance of courage over timidity,
of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists
in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by
a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles
the soul. Worry, fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit
back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being's heart
the lure of wonder, the unfailing child-like appetite of what's next,
and the joy of the game of living. In the center of your heart and my heart
there is a wireless station; so long as it receives messages of beauty,
hope, cheer, courage and power from men and from the Infinite, so long are
you young.
When the aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snow
of cynicism and the ice of pessimism, then you are grown old, even at
twenty, but as long as your aerials are up, to catch the waves of optimism,
there is hope you may die young at eighty.
Samuel Ullman