Girard discovered that most of what we desire is mimetic (mi-met-ik) or imitative, not intrinsic. Humans learn—through imitation—to want the same things other people want, just as they learn how to speak the same language and play by the same cultural rules. Imitation plays a far more pervasive role in our society than anyone had ever openly

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This same kind of thing happened over and over again. And it wasn’t just with objects. I noticed that whatever the people around me cared about, I began caring about, too. Business awards. Exclusive conferences like TED and Davos. Events like Burning Man and Art Basel. That was what other successful entrepreneurs seemed to care about, and I found

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