Interesting You Should Ask...

Have you ever had a moment, when you said something you wish you could take back?

Most of us have.

The most memorable ones are those that, even as the words are coming out of your mouth in a comically slow distortion of mental mush, you innocently insult everyone around you.

For some of us, it occurs more times than others.

Years ago, when I was a guest on a nationally syndicated radio show, it happened to me.

Most people in the listening audience understand the questions asked on live shows are understood prior to the show being aired. No one wants to be surprised in front of a million people, so the advance work allows you to anticipate the questions and be prepared. This goes both ways – for the host and the guest, and everyone respects the other.

My question that day was simple, and I will never forget it:

“What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing America today?”

It was a set up piece designed to lead me toward the remaining questions about the pending melt down of the real estate economy of 2008, and the dual impact of Wall Street’s lack of self-governance.

It was a “soft pitch” question and was meant for a “soft pitch” answer. They expected my response to be about 2 minutes long addressing our insatiable appetite for “the path of least resistance”, which leads to easy lending and greed, therefore creating an economic bubble that is bound to burst.

Simple enough, right?

Wrong – that’s when my brain decided to jump off the tracks and get a little too honest for what they were expecting.

So, this is what happened:

Q: “What do you feel is the biggest challenge facing America today?”

After a hyper second brain default and total detachment from reality, I did the unthinkable and I answered with the truth.

A: “Equal voting rights.”

Long.

Long.

Very long,

Awkward pause.

Q: “Would you repeat that?”

My brain suddenly rebooted once I realized what I had said, and knowing it was broadcasted to a live national audience, I had no choice but to repeat myself.

Gulp…

A: “I said that the biggest challenge facing America today was equal voting rights, but let me explain…

We live in the most wonderful country in the world and we celebrate equality, ingenuity, and the pursuit of happiness. All based on a concept that we are a reflection of the great Creator, and we are all true brothers and sisters born with equal rights; some as granted by God, others because we value the gift of life itself but, here lies the challenge.

As a population, we have forgotten the “gift” and therefore have begun to insult the Giver.

I am afraid that our population has become so self-absorbed, that we forget that we have a Divine purpose to serve others before we serve ourselves.

We forget that we have meaning, and we forget that we are all interconnected.

As we move inward, we lose the concept of equality and face an inward perspective driven by our own individuality and therefore default to “self-service” instead of “serving of others”.

Because of this, the masses band together and vote for their individual desires and not the betterment of others.

Serving others before we serve ourselves should be the cornerstone our lives. It was the gift that the Giver built this great country upon.

So, in essence, our biggest challenge today is equal voting rights, not because we failed to accept the gift, but because everyone seems to vote for themselves ahead of others. Sometimes, the needs of the many do out weigh the needs of the few, or the one”

Q: “That’s an interesting thought, but isn’t our inherent selfish need for greed the key to our growth and ultimately our democracy?”

(Long pause again, but this time it was from me.)

I now had less than 2 seconds to decide; do I make the host look good or bad?

A: “Great concept but as you know, we are not a democracy.”

Long.

Long.

Really long pause once again.

Q: “Excuse me?”

A: “ I don’t mean any disrespect, but as I am sure you learned from reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in kindergarten, we are not a ‘democracy’, but a ‘Republic’.

I am sure your remember the words don’t you?

‘and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible’,

etc…

The Founding Father’s anticipated today’s issues and created a grand Republic, not a democracy.

The good news – so far, it has worked just fine.

What I was leading to was the fact that public opinion is now replacing our individual “intelligence” when it comes to the core of our Republic, and that it is manifested in the “popular vote”.

People flow with the masses and therefore the problem is shifted from the individual efforts of a “results driven society” to that of a ‘herd mentality’.

Unfortunately, we all know what herds do…they destroy and consume everything in its way and leave nothing behind.

Ironically, the members of a herd think and feel like they are acting as individuals, but in reality they are moving in a mass led by a handful of Alpha types individuals who select the best for themselves and leave the leftovers to be divided by the herd.

Today, I am afraid we are dangerously close to the herd taking over the popular vote and we as a Republic are being caught in the current of today’s culture. The herd is becoming so strong, nothing will be left behind, and the decisions of our Alpha’s (good or bad – like them or not) will be drowned in a sea of mediocrity.”

Long.

Long.

Longer pause, but quickly coming up to a commercial break.

Saved once again.

____ ____ ____ ____

So what does this mean and why do I bring it up today?

As I watch and read the global news, I find there are now Two herds, and each is acquiring something new and special…the ability to think and reason as a whole.

That might sound like a Stephen King novel or a great SiFi concept, but it is true.

The herds are learning how accomplish more than devouring the land, it is learning how to talk, think, and reason. That is a scary thought because soon, the herd might not need its Alpha’s, regardless if they are good or bad. When that occurs, true democracy rises, but instead of a Republic methodology geared toward reason and service to others, the mob will begin to rule thus everything will fail.

Ironically when this does happen, it will begin disguised with the clapping of hands and a thunderous applause.

The herds will never know what hit them.

____ ____ ____ ____

I had the pleasure of spending a day last week with one of my favorite corporate leaders. We spoke about our time on earth and his commitment to serving others.

Best of all and to no surprise, we spoke of his desire to serve his family and his employees before he served himself.

We talked about the “multiplier effect” and how it begins at home. If you start small, with those closest to you, the energy and inertia of your work will spread.

The impact we have on others is not only reflective in our daily lives, but also in the lives of those around us. We have the ability to multiply our actions and deeds by influencing others to do the same.

As servants who follow a path, we have the ability to change the direction of an individual, and ultimately the herd.

Large or small, we are all the same and we deserve the right to express our beliefs as we see fit. The challenge comes when so many are caught up in the momentum of the herd, that they lose their individual conscience and ability to think alone.

As servant leaders, I beg all of you to look at those around you and seek ways to open their eyes to a certain truth.

Everyone you encounter is an individual, and that makes him or her special.

Many forget they have a Divine purpose once they join the herd; many are seeking ways to lessen their load by asking for the support of others.

What they really need is guidance from someone who cares about them more than they care about themselves.

What they need is a servant who enters their lives and cares.

So, how do you change the direction of a herd and give them back their individual rights?

It all begins at home, serving them as an individual; one precious life at a time.

-DB