was in Australia when the invitation came. It was a tough decision: should I stay in Australia, or fly to Chicago for the interview. Again the principle of “The more people I serve, the more effective I am” kicked in. Cutting my trip short, I flew directly from Australia to Chicago. I still remember walking onto Oprah’s stage, sitting next to her for an hour, and talking about the need for financial education.
In that hour, my life changed completely. In one hour I went from an unknown to a world famous voice for financial education. It had taken only 55 years, years of many successes and failures and many second chances, to become an overnight success.
I tell you this story, not to brag or pat myself on my back, but as an example of the power of following Bucky Fuller’s Generalized Principles and my rich dad’s lessons on money.
The Rich Are Generous
A reporter once asked me if Oprah made me rich. I replied that I was already rich the day I stepped on her stage. I was rich financially because I had spent my life gaining knowledge, knowledge not taught in schools. All I was doing was sharing, being generous with what I knew.
My comment on being generous disturbed the reporter. His view was that a person had to be greedy to be rich. When I attempted to explain, the generalized principle of unity is plural and, at minimum two—that a person could be rich by being greedy and that a person could be rich by being generous—his eyes glazed over. His brain was rigidly locked around the idea that the only way to become rich was by being greedy. In his mind, it is not possible to become rich by being generous. In his mind, there is only one kind of rich person: a greedy rich person.
Q: What happened after you became famous? Was it smooth sailing after that?
A: No. Far from it. Fame and money made life harder, not easier. Many friends became jealous. Partners became greedy and began to steal. And many people came around to see how they could “help.” It was tough trying to determine if people were coming to truly help with the mission or only to “help themselves” to what we had created.
The good news is that over the years many great people have come into our lives. Again: Unity is plural and we had to learn to take the good with the bad.
Bucky’s Last Words
As I’ve said, Fuller died on July 1 in 1983. His wife Anne died 36 hours later. Both were 87 years old. Even in death, his life was supernatural.
He was speaking at an event, which would be his last, when he abruptly stopped and sat quietly for a moment. I was not at that event, but I did listen to an audiotape of his final words from that event. I will paraphrase his final words.
Bucky said he was cutting his talk short because his wife was gravely ill. He mentioned he’d had a premonition a few days earlier. His premonition was that he and his wife were to die together. Realizing death was near for both of them, he said “There is something mysterious going on.” He encouraged everyone to continue on with the work, ending his talk with his usual parting words, “Thank you, darling people.”
I later learned that he and his wife had made a pact that neither of them would ever see the other die. They kept their pact. Rushing to see her, Bucky sat at her bedside, where she was in a coma. As if on cue, he put his head down next to her, and silently passed on. She followed, 36 hours later, keeping their pact to never see the other die. He was a futurist who predicted how he and his wife would die. I guess he could hear the Great Spirit calling them home.
I was driving on a freeway in Honolulu when the news of their deaths came over the radio. The news so overwhelmed me that I pulled over on the side of the highway and cried. Looking back, it’s clear to me that, as I was sitting on the side of the highway that emotional day, one phase of my life had ended and another had begun. I was given a new second chance. I was no longer to be an entrepreneur in manufacturing. I was about to become an entrepreneur in education.
Grunch of Giants
A few months later, Bucky’s final book, Grunch of Giants, was released posthumously. As I’ve mentioned, GRUNCH stands for Gross Universal Cash Heist and refers to how the rich and powerful steal our wealth via our money, government, and banking system.
As I read this tiny, yet potent book, many pieces of the puzzle began to fall in place. My mind drifted back in time… when I was nine years old, in the fourth grade, and I raising my hand to ask my teacher, “When will we learn about money?” and “Why are some people rich and most people poor?”
In reading Grunch, the answers slowly seeped into my head. Fuller was very critical of the educational system, not only because of what it was teaching, but how it taught children to learn. He had this to say about every child and his or her special genius:
“Every child is born a genius, but is swiftly degeniused by unwitting humans and/or physically unfavorable environmental factors.”
And…
“I observe that every child demonstrates a comprehensive curiosity. Children are interested in everything and are forever embarrassing their specialized parents by the wholeness of their interests. Children demonstrate right from the beginning that their genes are organized to help them to apprehend, comprehend, coordinate, and employ—in all directions.”
Fuller recommended that students take control of their education process. In essence: do what Steve Jobs did at Reed College in Portland, Oregon. Steve Jobs dropped out of school so he could drop back in, studying only subjects that interested him. Steve never went back to school.
Q: Did Bucky Fuller say everyone has a genius?
A: Yes.
Q: But I don’t feel very smart. I don’t think I have a genius. Why is that?
A: As Bucky says, schools and parents often degenius children. Fuller used the metaphor of school being a diamond mine. Teachers dig into the mine looking for “diamonds”—the kids they think are geniuses. The “tailings,” or the dirt and rubble that were tossed to the wayside, are the students the teachers believe have no genius potential. That is why so many students leave school feeling that they’re not smart, not bright, not special… even angry at school and the school system.
Q: So how does a person find their genius?
A: There are many ways. One way is by changing their environment.
Q: What does environment have to do with my genius?
A: Let me give you some examples. Many students feel stupid in the environment of a classroom, yet their genius comes alive on a football field. Tiger Woods’ genius comes alive on the golf course. The Beatles’ genius came alive, with guitars and drums, in a recording studio. Steve Jobs dropped out of school, yet his genius came alive in his garage, where he and Steve Wozniak developed the first Apple computer.
Q: So why don’t I feel smart? Why can’t I find my genius?
A: Because most people go from home to school to work, environments that are not always the right environment for their genius to bloom. Many spend their lives feeling unfulfilled, untested, unappreciated, simply because they did not find the environment in which their genius could blossom.
Think of genius as three words, genie-in-us… the magician in us. The words genius, magician, and inspire are
