YOU WILL OWN NOTHING AND YOU WILL BE HAPPY

"In the new world, it is not the big fish that eats the small fish, it's the fast fish that will eat the slow fish." - Klaus Schwab

"If you can't beat them. Eat them." - Journal of Insect Science

A huge spread had been laid out on the long banquet table in the gardens of Klaus Schwab's impressive Swiss compound one sultry summer's evening in Cologny.

Schwab had suggested the notion to his guests of blind testing the starters to which they all agreed without resistance. As executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, he naturally invited an air of reverence being one of the most important global thinkers and organisers of the 21st century.

"I want to prove to you that not knowing what exactly it is you will be eating adds an extra frisson of excitement to the dining experience. I guarantee your taste receptors will be on tenterhooks in anticipation of what I will feed you."

"Why do I feel like I'm on that awful show. Celebrity something?" asked one of the numerous female guests.

"Because you are, my dear. Everyone's a celebrity now."

Unless they're smart, he thought privately to himself.

Considering how much power and influence Schwab had, it was remarkable just how little of a celebrity figure he actually was. But then again, he was smart. You didn't found the WEF itself without being exceptionally intelligent.

As an engineer and economist, he also knew better than most how to design systems that would withstand great pressure and scrutiny. He considered his own life was just as much about system management as the world at large. He was calibrating both perfectly.

For it was a testament to the technocrat's own machine-like mind that he now had the ear of all world leaders who were practically sycophantic to him when they would see him at Davos or the other global conferences where they'd share a platform.

The servants handed out blindfolds and helped adjust them tighter round the back of the guests' heads as Klaus watched on, amused by their happy obedience.

Not even with his own children had he managed such discipline.

Revelling in the moment a little too much, the chairman almost forgot about preparing for the next stage of the experiment.

"Ladies and genetlemen, you are about to taste the future. Without judgement, without prior knowledge, your senses will now be your best critics of the tastes you enjoy inside your mouths."

And without further ado, he rang a little dinner bell.

Just like Pavlov, he laughed to himself.

"Open wide, children!"

The guests opened their mouths in unison like a hundred human pez dispensers.

Klaus took a sip of crisp white wine and watched on as his troop of servants fed each and every one of the guests with a slow, guided forkful of food.

"You may now close your mouths and chew."

As they all did, in perfect synchronicity.

"Now swallow, if you will."

Even the chairman was surprised just how loud the sound of a hundred gullets swallowing food could sound.

He suffered with misophonia all his life and was easily triggered by the sound of human mastication.

It was one of the reasons he liked to direct these occasions in his own controlled and idiosyncratic way.

"You may now wash down your food with some water before we move onto the next dish."

Once again, the ritual was repeated with the guests fed food which they had no concept of.

After the third time, the blindfolds were eventually loosened and taken off by the curious guests.

"I'm sure you all wish to know what food you have just enjoyed."

Nodding in near unison, the guests waited for their host to illuminate.

"Dish number one was yellow mealworm, a derivative of the darkling beetle, which, you may be surprised to learn, is dense in calories and protein. You wouldn't think something so modest tasting would pack such a punch. Which just goes to prove small can be powerful. You all could learn a lot from these modest mealworms."

As none of his guests had even remotely flinched at his revealing the mystery of their insect food, Klaus felt encouraged to reveal the content of their second starter course.

"You've all heard of a plague of locusts no doubt. Well, you're just enjoyed for your second dish a plate of locusts."

This time, the guests broke into applause. Klaus gratefully accepted their enthusiasm with a gentle pat of his chest.

"The third of these exciting new foods you ate was buffalo worms, a great source of iron and zinc."

More applause, this time even louder, prompted the chairman to take a bow.

"You may now all unwind from the blind tasting with some green-ant gin. I bet none of you even imagined before tonight you may be nursing an hangover from insect liquor. Well, there we have it. Those who are resourceful will find there is much to enjoy. Cheers!"

Raising his glass of wine while his guests raised their glasses of gin, sweet music broke out as a string quartet began to play some Schubert.

The atmosphere was buzzing, as the guests chirped like crickets with excitement.

A little while later, having finally plucked up the courage to speak with the esteemed host, a young, handsome looking man approached Schwab who beckoned him closer so he could hear what he had to say.

"I was wondering. What is the idea. I mean with these insects, Herr Schwab?"

The chairman dabbed at his mouth with a napkin having taken a pause from his plate of delicately poached fish whilst carefully considering the young man's query.

"In a word, sustainability. You think with soon to be ten billion people on this planet we can just keep eat hamburgers and fries? Ridiculous!"

"It'll be a hard sell for the general public, no?"

"No. It'll be easy. Look at you all tonight. Clapping and smiling. People love when others take control of the narrative. That's what I do. Take control of the narrative. What was it Shakespeare said? All this world is but a play. Well, then surely someone has to write the play after all, no?"

The young man nodded in agreement. It was a valid point.

"Listen. There is a natural hierarchy on this earth. Nature first. Humans second. Humans will all do what is right when the time comes."

"When the time comes?"

"When survival becomes a necessity over luxuries. That's when it'll begin."

The young philanthropist smiled, happy to be in the company of such a wise man.

"Well, thank you sir. Enjoy the rest of your evening."

The chairman nodded as he took a final forkful of fish and placed it in his mouth.

Looking around at his contented guests, Schwab considered his insect trial most successful. This was as close to truly content as he would get. When an idea formed in his head was executed in reality.

Staring down at the lifeless eyes of the fish, he contemplated its skeleton.

Separating the head from its body on his ornate plate, a further thought suddenly occurred to him.

What does a fish need to exist? Water, food and shelter. Surely then, he continued with his train of thought, human needs were the exact same.

It was only when humans forgot these basic facts that the fabric of society was unravelled.

Withdrawing an expensive looking pen from the inside of his jacket pocket, he wrote down on a spare napkin his latest slogan.

"You will own nothing and you will be happy."