Among the many reasons to read The Economist is its Letter section. This one is from a reader in Oregon commenting on an Economist report on the roles consultants fill in society. The letter appeared in the October 22, 2022 Economist.

“Your piece reminded me of an old story. A shepherd was tending his flock when a shiny silver BMW emerged. The driver, a young man in an Armani suit and the latest Polarised sunglasses, asked the shepherd, ‘If I can tell you how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?’ The shepherd glanced at his peacefully grazing flock and answered, ‘Sure.’

The driver plugged his microscopic phone into a laptop and surfed to a satellite-navigation system. While the computer was busy, he sent some emails via his iPhone and, after a few minutes, nodded solemnly at the responses. Finally, he downloaded a 150-page report and pronounced to the shepherd, ‘You have exactly 1,586 sheep.’

‘Impressive. One of my sheep is yours,’ said the shepherd. The young man selected an animal. Then the shepherd said, ‘If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my sheep?’ The young man replied ‘You’re on.’

‘You are a consultant,’ said the shepherd without hesitation. ‘That’s correct, said the young man, impressed. ‘How ever did you guess?’

‘It wasn’t a guess,’ replied the shepherd. ‘You drive into my field uninvited. You ask me to pay you for information I already know, answer questions I haven’t asked, and you know nothing about my business.

Now give me back my dog.'”