Ever hear about Kowloon Walled City? Back in 1990, it was the most densely populated place in the world. Imagine a square field with each side measuring one hundred sixty meters. Fill that field with over fifty thousand people and that’s about how packed this place was. To make matters worse, there was barely any police presence. This place was filled to the brim with prostitution, gambling, drugs, you name it. A true breeding ground for vice.
On top of that, this city is a firetrap. As you can imagine, with hardly any space left, the buildings are right next to each other. If one goes, they all go. This is why there have been several major fires in this city over the years. Looking at the pictures, it looks like a house of cards, ready to tip over at any moment.
At this point, you’re probably wondering why this place is still around up until the ’90s?
Well, it’s complicated. The city is technically Chinese territory, but it’s surrounded by British Hong Kong. What that really means, is the creation of a lawless no-man’s land. If people wanted to escape the law, that’s where they went. This situation lasted for years, until China and Hong Kong decided to sit together and come to an arrangement. Ultimately, everyone had to leave. Tens of thousands of people had to find a different place to live. The authorities teared down the city and had it replaced with a park.
I’m sharing this as a cautionary tale about the importance of foundations. The city was built on shaky foundations. It was just a matter of time before it would collapse under it’s own weight – one way or the other. The same is true for people. If you lack strong foundations, you’ll always be one step away from disaster.
Recently, we’ve seen the rise and fall of FTX, a website built to easily exchange cryptocurrencies. About nine billion dollars in customer’s funds vanished in the air. And founder Sam Bankman-Fried finds himself having to explain it all, with many comparing him to Bernie Madoff. Lack of good foundations, if you ask me.
And what about Andrew Tate? He kept bragging about his cars and his women. So, people wanted to know where it all came from. Some pointed to his kickboxing past, but that’s not the whole story. Look into his past, and you’ll find a camgirl website. It was designed for women to trick men into giving as much money as they could, selling them on dreams they’d never deliver. Hey, I’m not making this up, he’s told the story himself on a YouTube interview. Given this murky past, is it a big surprise he’s in a world of trouble lately? Probably not.
Still, teenage boys like him. They find him amusing and they’re impressed with the cars. Fine, but what are the odds he’s changed much since his camgirl days? If he’s still the same, then why shouldn’t he view his fans the same as his customers back then: easily exploitable marks?
Don’t be too impressed by today’s equivalents of Kowloon Walled City. It’s better to build good foundations if you want to win in the long run. Food for thought.
Kind regards
Vincent J. Dancet