The Leadership during Economics of Despair

(Please note that my views including this post are my personal views with no link to my career and my job)

Published as a series of The Leadership Chronicles?#leadershipchronicles

Whenever I reflect, I never recall an enemy bigger than despair. It is an enemy that kills you, kills others through you, fails the remedies of your recovery, and causes the societies and economies to fail. The bad economics which are caused by Despair only defame and demoralize those who were standing against it. In a way, it is such a menace that it makes people lose self-respect for having a positive attitude. I have never faced another enemy of such vicious nature. And here is just a little story to give a glimpse of how physically and emotionally damaging even a little dose of Despair can be.

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More than 20 years back, a few of us visited Nathiagali during offseason. It was much less crowded and generally secluded during off season in those times. Unfortunately, the day we went there, it snowed like hell for a day. We were told that we were stuck there till the time the roads were cleared by heavy machinery. In those days, we were told that it normally took 2-3 days to clear the roads. The good thing was the skies were clear immediately after, implying that it would not be more than 3 days for us to be back to land of warm weathers. Please picture that the resort during off season of those times became really secluded.

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It all began when we asked hotel to extend the stay. It was relatively easier because if we were unable to leave from there, no one from outside was unable to get there. The demand supply was balanced but a little premium had to be paid for more “heating”. We were okay with it. We paid for it, but the mind had started tuning to the fact that an environment of unfairness might exist now on. We were supposed to be under an unreasonable, “unlawful” (not truth but perception) environment. I call it the Seeding of Despair in our mind. We were now thinking of a hostile situation around us. We were feeling alone.

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But soon that seed got the best of us. After extending the room, one of us mentioned that we should buy dry items like packaged milk, chips, cookies, juices, and biscuits etc. We agreed based upon a simple reason: the people will start a rush towards such groceries, the supply chain is broken, and we may not be left with anything if a crisis came. Since we had the money to buy things unnecessarily and we were under a perception of being unsupported, we bought what we could – indeed much more that what we should have on a normal 3-day stay. There was good stock available during that time. This was Act 1 of Despair – creating panic and generating the need to build a strategic storage leading to a spike of demand that should not have existed at all.

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Interesting fact: when we were buying some other people were also buying. But there were a lot more who were just observing us. We appeared happy to others now. Our body language changed, smiles came back to our faces, we started mentioning to all that we were smart, and they should have been too. In our capacity of creating damage, we were running at full utilization to spread the same Despair. Some of us shared stories that they remembered a time when the roads were not cleared for even a fortnight etc. And people should be prepared for it, and, as an example, we were now prepared for it. Some early movers fell a fortunate victim to our stories of Despair. This was Act 2 of Despair – pulling non-despaired towards Despair just because “early-despaired people appear good winners”. Good thing that those early movers also got a bag full of groceries. This created more artificial demand that never was there. You would acknowledge that a resort relying on a single store during off season may not store for the needs of hundreds for a month.

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But soon things started changing on the ground. We, actually, were winner by being early adopters of Despair. By midday, the supplies of the shop were running short. Not only the shop stopped selling but also on special request, a special price was to be paid. And since, in a mountain resort covered with snow, the only thing you do is talk and talk, it was spreading like a wildfire. Hours later, almost everyone was lining up at the store, and only those willing to pay special price were getting food. And then hours later, even those who had the power to buy could not buy anymore. And those who were less privileged probably had nothing for their kids. This was the impact of our Despair on the lives of less privileged. This also caused people to start believing in stupidity of those who did not act in time. This was Act 3 of Despair – bad economic predictions promoted by Despair are self-fulfilling prophecies. I witnessed the biggest message of that time – you can bankrupt the biggest bank just by spreading the rumor that it will go bankrupt. Those who say it would not, would lose respect at least in the eyes of those who believed in them.

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But, the next day (not two days later), the road opened. We went back to our cities with full tummies and extra baggage – the baggage of all the extra food that we had bought but not used. Some were saying that we were great in planning – but I was thinking that this food that we were now going to give away, caused some others to pay unbearably high (think of white wearing amongst us), and some others to remain less nourished. Just because we wanted to have a back up and we could afford one, we created a bad world for everyone else. That world that did not need to be created if Despair did not exist at all!

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I am sure that, at the same time, the forces of Despair were playing with the minds of those who could have suffered (even if not suffered). As an example, think of the perspective of everyone who lost. They were now a strong believer in Despair because that was the way to be safe in the future. Our action not only caused physical damage and benefited the profiteer, but also made them become like us in the future. Now, there were fewer hopeful people and more despaired people. In the eyes of those who suffered, people like me and my friends were winners because we acted in time. I, sometimes, wish they knew that these wise and genius bunch of smart people were the reason of their miseries behind the curtain. This was Act 4 of Despair, creating more people just ready and waiting to outsmart others with the slightest risk they fear. In other words, we put the Seed in their mind.

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Now there were more people who would do Act 1 whenever they have a slightest fear of anything happening remotely. This was now to become a vicious circle of 4 Acts at so many other places by so many damaged during this little story.

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One act of Despair created a world perceived to be bad, made those who never believed in Despair suffer more, profiteered a non-deserving, and created more people who would believe in Despair now. This was a very simple event in a simple town related to normal goods. But you would witness the similar much more damaging episodes around you today as the single reason of our downfall. Our societies are quickly becoming victims of the 4 Acts.

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I don’t know of any other enemy of humanity as malicious as this one. The big question is how we get out of this! I don’t know the exact answer to this question. May be the perception of Plenty and Confidence (such as Consumer Confidence) are the answers, but I don’t know how to lead a weakening surrounding out of this situation without external support.

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Such times, this can make a lion crawl in front of lamb, crow fly higher than eagle, and sink-kill fish in its own water. What would a Leader do in such times? I would say s/he must promote Faith. Hope is not the answer, Faith is!?