Shark Hats & Mirrors

Why peace-lovers have to occasionally choose fierceness

People often confuse consequence with punishment. They think the Universe is sitting up there with a red pen, gleefully dishing out detentions. Nope. The Universe is more like a mirror. If you pull a face at it, the reflection pulls one right back. It’s not being vindictive—it’s just doing what mirrors do.

But here’s where it gets spicy: sometimes we have to put on our Shark Hat.
Now, don’t panic—this doesn’t mean we become vindictive, blood-thirsty predators out for revenge. A Shark Hat isn’t about circling your enemies until you can taste their fear. No. A Shark Hat is about boundaries. It’s about knowing when to stop being the smiling dolphin and flash a fin sharp enough to make others think twice.

​Think of it this way:

• Punishment wants to humiliate.
• Revenge wants to hurt.
• Consequence just reflects.
• Shark Hat action protects.

Sometimes, protecting looks fierce. Like the immune system in your body, it doesn’t negotiate with pathogens—it neutralises them. That doesn’t mean your immune system hates germs. It just knows: if they spread, the whole body suffers.
So too with us. When someone is playing dirty—scamming, exploiting, harming—you don’t keep playing nice dolphin games. You put on the Shark Hat. Not to punish. Not to “get back.” But to keep the waters clear. To signal: Not here. Not with me.

And here’s the magic: if you do it cleanly, without hate or gloating, it’s actually win-win. You stay safe. The other person meets the mirror of their own behavior. And the wider ocean stays balanced.

Because in the end, sharks are not villains. They are guardians. And sometimes, being loving means showing your teeth.

So how best to do that??
One of life’s sneakiest lessons? Figuring out what game the other person is actually playing.
Not what they say they’re playing. Not what the brochure says. The real game.
If it’s “Win-Win”? Great! Cue the trust falls, potlucks, and unicorn emojis. That’s the dream.
But if the game turns out to be “Win-Lose”? Playing nice is just volunteering to be lunch.
So, what’s a savvy human to do when the water smells like blood and the fin is circling?

You’ve got 3 classic choices:
🧠 1. Diagnose the Game
Ask yourself: Is this person in it for mutual flourishing, or are they auditioning for Shark Tank: Cannibal Edition?
It’s okay to ask out loud, too. Something like:
“Are we aiming for a win-win here, or is this more of a gladiator thing?”

🏃‍♀️ 2. Exit, Stage Left
If the answer is “gladiator,” you may want to dramatically exit with your integrity, humor, and bank account still intact.
Pro tip: Do it before the theme music swells.

😈 3. Deploy Tactical Ferocity (a.k.a. “No More Mr. Nice Gills”)
Only--only—if you’ve exhausted every other peaceful option and you’re being backed into a metaphorical corner with your metaphorical tail pinned.
This isn’t about vengeance. This is about precision.
Like a philosopher-ninja with a moral compass and a spreadsheet.
Natural Law gives you full permission to defend your house, your soul, and your lunch money—without becoming a monster in the process.

🧱 Foundational Groundwork (Yes, It’s Awkward. Yes, Do It Anyway.)
Even if it feels like roleplaying as a sentient HR handbook, lay the ground rules:

1. Ask: “Are we both here to win, or is this a chess match disguised as tea?”
2. If yes: “Cool, then let’s take turns actually listening to each other, yeah?”
3. If someone strays, “Let’s pause and reset before someone flips the board.”
4. Bonus: You now have an Agreement Cloak of Accountability™. Use it.

🦈 DON’T. PLAY. WITH. SHARKS. (Unless you brought your own.)
Unless you’ve got a squad of legal sorcerers and emotional ninjas on speed dial, don’t go swimming with corporate great whites.
Most man-made systems? They’re structured like rigged casinos—Lose-Win by design. That includes most governments, courts, and large institutions. So if you’re a lone PEC (Person of Emotional Conscience), you’re not just David vs. Goliath—you’re David with a jelly slingshot.

🎲 Four Play Options When the Game Isn’t Fair

1. Recognize the Game. Is it rigged? Is it personal? Is it Tuesday?
2. If You Can’t Win, Don’t Play Blind:
   • Submit Strategically. Live to strategize another day.
   • Speak Up. Voice the invisible, even if your voice trembles.
   • Vanish Gracefully. Poof. Side-step. Ghost emoji.
   • Go Full Spartan. But only if you’ve got:
     • Backup
     • Receipts
     • A will to lose sleep
     • A plan B for after the dust settles.

Final whisper: Even when facing sharks, the goal isn’t to become one. It’s to know your waters, wear your armour, and choose how deep you dive.

SHARK HATS ON!! When Trump appears a little full on sometimes ie holding boundaries with the lying media and bringing in the Military ... what if you thought of him as ‘putting on his Shark-hat’? What if his fierceness or confusing behaviour is all for the good?
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Excerpt from unpublished book “The Solution to almost Everything’.
With thanks to Dudley Lynch’s seminal book - Strategy of the Dolphin… and Robert Kiyosaki