What Did Margaret Say?

If you missed the world news this week, you missed a lot.

?Ukraine is in trouble as it faces an opponent worthy of comparison to Darth Vader and the Evil Empire combined. Their days of freedom seem close to an end, and they are standing alone.

Global and US inflation is at levels set to rival the 1970’s and there is no end in sight.

South Korea has new missile capabilities and the famine that is bearing down on Africa is about to get real.

So, what do we do?

Ignore it and pretend it will go away?

Lean in and help where we can, just not too much?

How about this??Let’s stay inside our own bubble and only focus on the things we can control.

Those are all bad ideas.

Let's do this - Steward the world, help each other, and serve the one who owns it all.

So, buckle up.

It is safest when we stay inside our own happy bubble. We in the west are good at focusing on what we can control while we block out any negative “noise” that comes in from the rest of the world. It is a process that allows us to get focused and stay on top.

Yet, we need to ask ourself this... Is it a coward’s approach to life?

Unfortunately, it is.

We seem to want to take the coward’s path in our quest to reach nirvana.?Yep - it is true, 99% of time.

Sometimes we simply suck at being brave.

Don’t get me wrong, when the time comes, we are there, but what must happen before we engage and help those who need us most?

Simple – just do something that forces us out of our bubble, and fast!

We have a big bubble. It is where we stay safe. It is our "100 acre woods", our “Pooh Corner”.

Occasionally, our bubble might collide with someone else’s bubble, but it might not be a bad thing. Ever so often, it turns out to be a once in a lifetime learning experience if we do it right. We just never know till it is over.

For the good or bad, I believe this is what is happening today.

While many of us are thousands of miles from these tragic and historical events in Ukraine, it does present a challenge. It is an offering for us to think differently about how we think.

Bubble or no bubble, we need to pay attention.

So, let’s look at Europe. What we can we learn from this chaotic shit storm? A lot.

I had the pleasure of personally hearing Lady Margaret Thatcher (former Prime Minister of Great Britain) lecture on the virtues of history. She was a fascinating lady, and I was thrilled to be in the company of such a historical figure. It was her “iron” will, and Reagan’s determination, that changed the world we live in today.

When I heard her speak, she was recently retired but still passionate about her work. I was among a group of US executives and we were looking for some wisdom in international affairs. As you can imagine, the opportunity to be in the same room with someone so instrumental was fantastic, and her transfer of knowledge would prove priceless.

As her lecture ended, she paused and looked at us with a set of sad eyes. Then she did something a bit unusual, she drifted off her prepared speech and began to challenge us on an individual level. With her wonderful British accent and impeccable manners, she asked us a single question, and stood silently while we pondered our response.

Her question went something like this:

“Why is it I wonder, that you Americans are so fascinated with your own culture, that you find it necessary to avoid learning about the rest of the world?”

She then said:

“…because if you did, you would know that today’s world is aligning itself exactly like it was in 1915 when the archbishop was assassinated. It is there, where you could learn a valuable lessons”.

She went on to state “the world is today, as it always was, it is filled with bubbles. People who are trying to find their way through life; each person with their own history, story, and family, is building upon generations of passion and love, but if you (the US) think you’re the only one who feels this way, you are wrong.”

From there, she gave a prophetic warning that today’s Europe (the 1995 version) was aligning itself to repeat history once again, and the those passions will ignite a fury that might shock the US if we do not recognize our responsibility to respect others and aid them in their bubble.

It was 27 years ago when I stood silent as Lady Thatcher challenged us all.

So, with that in mind, what do we need to learn from today’s news?

Simple: The world is as it always has been; broken into two types of people, two types of “bubbles”.

First are those who we call “steward leaders”. These are people who understand the gift they have received. They know they are here for a short time and will do what it takes to fulfill a mission. They work for a living and believe they get what they deserve, but only after they help others get their gifts first. They are focused, determined, take care of their family, and find charity giving to those in need. They get it.

The other type of person is a “taker”. One that finds the “path of least resistance” and looks to justify themselves when the course gets tough. They want you, the steward leader who cares, to take care of them, not because they need it, but because they are entitled, and you must serve them.

It’s an ugly truth but think about it, if you are not here to serve, you are here to be served. Takers want to be served at all cost. They just don't want to pay for it.

Those who feel they should reap your hard work and benefit from your labor, are takers – they want it because you have it, regardless of how you earned it.

In a lot of ways, this is what we are seeing in Europe today.

As the Ukrainians fights to hold on to their democracy, it is their “stewards” who rally for freedom, yet they find resistance from those in the west who want guarantees, the “takers”. There are people today who sell the less fortunate dreams of “entitlements”, and they are the same people who would sell your freedom to the old Russian guard. They would never risk the efforts needed for a better life for others, they are simply sell-outs. Worse than anything, the “super takers” are those who are opportunistic and will feed like vultures once the fight is done. There is a special place in hell reserved for them .

International politics come with a lot of complexities, but the basic concept is simple, and one we should respect.

As “stewards” fight to serve others and fulfill the mission of the true owner. In doing so, they stay in their bubble as long as they can, but occasionally the outside world fights its way inside.

Sometimes this is tough, because true steward leaders, by their very nature, want to help those on the outside. They want others to find peace in service and help them be the best they can be. This creates a conflict and a collision when the entitlement-based outsiders want to force the stewards into their version of change. They, the “entitlement minded people”, want to take the steward leaders bubble, and make it theirs.

The takers, feel that if you (the stewards of a great commission) settle and bring yourself down to their level, then their lack of passion and desire is justified, and everyone is equal.

The problem is that this never works.

There is always someone inside the “takers” system who seeks an advantage of their own; they prey on those who are weaker. They will literally feed on their own people, even those they love.

In the end, those who wanted to weaken you to their own mediocrity, discover it would have been better for them to risk it as a “steward” than to sell-out to economic captivity of the evil empire. Unfortunately this revelation always comes a day to late.

George Orwell summed up the “takers” in his classic novel Animal Farm.

“All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others”

We should pay attention to what is happening in Europe and cheer for those who are willing to fight for the right to be “steward leaders” once again. All they want is to control their destiny and serve the true owner; they want to serve others and help them have a better tomorrow. Even, if it means risking their own future.

In the west, we find ourselves consumed with our own problems a little too much. Occasionally we need to pay attention to those outside our bubble, especially when they are just like us and only want what is best for themselves and their families.

It would be terrible if we ignored Margret Thatcher’s warning and stayed so focused on ourselves, that we fail to recognize others who are in danger of losing their rights.

The lesson here is simple.?Eventually, all bubbles collide.

If you think it will never happen to you, you’re wrong. It is our destiny; personally, professionally, and spiritually.

We are destined for a collision.

All I ask is that you look for ways to help and protect yourself from those who want to take from your bubble. In doing so, please find a way to help and pray for those who are also threatened by those who want to take away someone’s right to achieve freedom.

It only takes one person, one voice, and one set off applause to collapse the takers system.

It has been 107 years since the Archduke fell and forced the world’s bubbles to collide. Europe never fully recovered. If we are not careful and learn from the past, our bubble is destined to collide as well.

When that happens, we will ask ourselves:

What have we learned from history, because surely this has happened before?

#ukraine #perfectPlan. #donbarden. #leadership. #stewardleadership