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In his Business Commentary "Reminding you of these foolish things" in The Times
on 1st April 2006, Robert Cole made reference to some historical
background to April Fool's Day. He then pointed out that foolery,
especially with regard to modern financial markets, often results from
people refusing to accept fundamental truths or from ignorance.
He then went on to comment on each of thirteen travesties and suggested that we are all associated with at least one of them.
To see what these travesties are, read the whole article on The Times website.
Interestingly, whilst some of the author's comments are specific to the
present time and, probably, his political views, several others (eg 1,
4, 7, 8 and 10) are timeless and apply in all situations and cultures.
Warnings against foolish behaviour have been given down the ages. For example, the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament
refer regularly to fools, folly, poor investment decisions and people
not thinking wisely. They also make mention of wrong business
practices, deceipt, fraud, poor labour relations and many other things which are so much in the news nowadays.
For an interesting and useful analysis of how business can benefit from biblical guidance, see Richard Higginson's Questions of Business Life: Exploring Workplace Issues from a Christian Perspective, Spring Harvest, 2002 (ISBN 1-85078-477-9)
For a more recent article relating biblical advice to business, see the axiom-editorial Building on firm foundations, Anglia Industry & Business, March-April 2006.
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