It happened on a sunny day in the mid Paleolithic. The glaciers had disappeared for some time. A man was working outside to create a stronger, more piercing point on his stone spear. He thought it would be helpful to have a better tool for hunting and fighting enemies. His father, his uncles and all his brothers did it on a regular basis. And they did it the same way. They all abraded the sides of the point on a larger stone. This took a while. But nobody seem to know any better. It was part of being a hunter.
That day a stranger appeared. Nobody knew him. He didn’t seem to have a clan. So, they all kept an eye on him. The stranger watched the hunter for a while in his attempts to sharpen the point. Then he walked up to him and put his hand on the hunter’s arm suggesting to stop the work. He indicated to the hunter to follow him. They went to a stone field and looked for stones. The stranger tested numerous of them trying to find a harder rock. After a few minutes he found one. He gave that rock to the hunter. They walked back. The hunter restarted his work. And indeed, it was much easier now. The spearhead became sharper in less time.
The hunter was very pleased. The stranger had just saved him a lot of time and energy. He wanted to return the favour. He fed the stranger well and offered him an amulet made out of tiger teeth. The stranger gladly accepted and continued his journey. That was the day consulting had been born.
Samuel Beck says
Great story. Finally someone found out what really happened 🙂
Jane Haynsworth says
I am glad this is cleared up now. Thanks for sharing, Andreas.
Minhaj Arifin says
Now we know! Thanks for describing this most historical moment in our history.