<p>In Idries Shah&rsquo;s&nbsp;<em>Wisdom of the Idiots</em> the &lsquo;idiots&rsquo; are Sufis called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically-knowledgeable. The exercise-stories of the Sufis are tools prepared for a specific purpose.</p><p>On this level the movements of the characters in a story portray psychological processes and the story becomes a working blueprint of those processes.</p><p><em>Wisdom of the Idiots</em>&nbsp;has been awarded many prizes including two gold medals one for being &lsquo;Best Book&rsquo; in conjunction with UNESCO&rsquo;s World Book Year.</p>