The Ark-itecture of success?

When the going gets tough, the tough get going…

...into colossal vessels that can protect all life on the planet!

At least that’s the impression you’d come away with if you examined the most common myths around the world. In addition to some kind of creation story and some conception of the afterlife, many cultures also have a flood myth: the idea that a cataclysmic flood nearly turned the world into a watery hellscape a long time ago. The only reason life survived was because a ‘Chosen One’, someone righteous and worthy, was able to build an enormous boat with divine help.

For instance, India has the story of Manu and the fish, in which a little fish (sometimes described as being a manifestation of the deities Brahma or Vishnu) warns a ruler named Manu of an impending flood and urges him to build a boat so life can survive.

The Hebrew Bible tells of the well-known story of Noah, who was commanded by God to build an ark that was around 440 feet long, even though the practical limit on the length of a wooden-hulled ship is around 300 feet. So Noah’s Ark was so titanic (😉) that it thumbed its nose at the constraints modern engineers have to work with!

Perhaps the most impressive such tale comes from Mesopotamia: legend has it that a man named Uta-napishtim was instructed by a god to build a giant ship with the incredibly cool name ‘Preserver of Life’.

Just how big was this ship? Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about that:

“The frame of the ark, which was made in five days, was 200 feet in length, width and height, with a floor-space of one acre. The ark interior had seven floors, with each floor divided into 9 sections [...].”

A seven-decker cube-framed vessel named Preserver of Life?! Hollywood, take note!

Jokes aside, it’s clear that the concept of a massive ark designed to preserve life resonates across cultures and millennia. In terms of story-telling, the ark represents resilience and foresight, but also the importance of scale.

It's a testament to the idea that often, in times of uncertainty, bigger might be better.

But seeing the bigger picture, no matter how counter-intuitive it may be, takes a special kind of spirit. In these ancient stories, the Chosen Ones and their families were usually the only people who could board the ark: nobody else was allowed. The ark was effectively meant only for a small group of people who had the foresight and the courage to act against conventional wisdom.

In other words, the potential of a brighter future was reserved only for those people who could read the signs and were willing to NOT follow the herd.

This idea carries over well into the world of investing. Many investors get tempted by high past returns, dizzying stocks, or glitzy sectoral and thematic funds, seeing them as exciting options that will "help me beat everyone else".

But because most investors can’t read the signs, they can’t see the risks lurking beneath such approaches. History tells us that overheated valuations and market hype in sexy sectors often lead to trouble down the road.

So, the next time you're faced with a knotty investing dilemma, remember the lessons of the ark. The Chosen Ones looked beyond the obvious and took refuge in the ark. Similarly, you must become smart enough to consider looking beyond fleeting market trends, and perhaps going against what most others might be doing.

Maybe it's time to ask if you have something in your portfolio that can help turn it into a stronger ark, ready to weather the coming storms?

Because maybe, in the not-so-distant future, Winter is coming.