An itinerant preacher with radiant eyes and a celibate with impeccable character, attired in a long flowing robe, admonished the Pharisees and Sadducees when they hurled acerbic remarks at him for accompanying the tax collectors and sinners. He attempted to explain to them that his mission was to redeem the sinners and find the lost ones from his flock. At that juncture, he referred to an allegory of the prodigal son and explicated how joyful it would be there in heaven if one sinner repented. He reiterated with authority that he was the eternal hope to the forlorn folk, which went awry from the divine path.
Once a woman of loose morals was about to stone to death, Jesus witnessed the unscrupulous act said, "Those who are sinless throw the first stone." To his amazement, he found nobody except the harlot there. Christ alluded their surreptitious sin; pricked by their conscience they fled from the scene.
He was a 'man of metaphors', known for this unparalleled parables. His sermon on the mount was the most popular one among his discourses. "AGAPE" was the core of his teachings. His mellifluous voice awash in love and compassion soothed the tumultuous souls floundering in an abyss of moral depravity.
The pith and marrow of his teachings was love, which can be inferred by his immortal words: "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you." These words send a surge of courage through my veins whenever I am dispirited.
He healed the infirmities in psyche and physique; rebuked the evil spirits, reproached bizarre tradition of observing Sabbath and offering tithe without earnest repentance, reprehended the uncanny dogmatic delusion of self-righteousness that plagued the society, condemned the colorful liturgy that was in vogue to ensnare the feeble-minded common folk, challenged the convoluted theology - a lethal weapon devised by the vulpine rabbis to keep a tight rein over the society, and censured the crass politics that permeated the rank and file of the synagogue. He vehemently criticized the evil practices that ashamed even the shyster politicians, which were foisted on the Jews by the corrupt high priests.
He underwent a dreadful ordeal on the cross, which His heavenly Father decreed as atonement for the sin of mankind. Even at the threshold of death on the cross, He cried his lung out to his Father in heaven, "My father forgive them for they are unaware of what they are doing." Such was his love for the deliverance of humanity.
He is the only WAY through whom we can see the Father in heaven. He is the only ambassador who pleads incessantly with our Father in heaven to forgive our sins and transgressions.
Christ walked the talk. He is the beacon of Truth everyone ought to emulate.
We negotiate a lot in our daily lives, like negotiating with street hawkers, about who gets t wipe the kid's snotty nose, wash a multi-hued diaper, or "But yesterday you said tomorrow!" "True, did I ever say today" kind of conversations followed by giggles and rattles, but still we managed to reach 100 crores, eh!
Negotiation should not necessarily be with abductors asking for ransom or signing the Camp David accord. It could be simple things, but it certainly can lead to extraordinary results. If negotiation is the stepping stone, decision-making is the cornerstone of an organization.
SPARE THE ROD, SPOIL THE CHILD
Don't we teach our kids not to pick nose or sneer at a person who dispenses scatological language or misspells duck at social gatherings? Unrestrained social deviance will create anomie or social strain. Those are social mores, age no bar, applicable to all bipedal. Every rational being is mandated to comply with that social etiquette. Censure and endorse weighed and measured when situations warrant.
THERE IS NO PROSTHESIS FOR A BROKEN SPIRIT. - COL. FRANK SLADE IN SCENT OF A WOMAN
Conflicts erupt when a person's professed belief is at stake, the ego is bruised, the character is assassinated, voice is unheard, the position is jeopardized, autonomy is trampled; or, most importantly, when someone is stigmatized by the society. We need to rise above lingual, cultural, and socio-religious dogmas and be genuinely concerned.
FROM EACH ACCORDING TO HIS ABILITY, TEND EACH ACCORDING TO HIS NEED
Do not lionize an individual if it leads to intellectual drudgery, complacency, and ennui. A person with an inflated ego can metamorphose into a spoilsport and wreak havoc to the serene work environment.
WE MUST ALL HANG TOGETHER, OR ASSUREDLY WE SHALL ALL HANG SEPARATELY. - BENJAMIN FRANKLIN
We need to instill a group mentality. Although individual performance matters, the goals and objectives of a group are more crucial than an individual's. A cohesive organization is more equipped to stand the test of time, but a divided organization vanishes into thin air in no time.
TRESPASSERS WILL BE PERSECUTED
Do not trample a person's autonomy, do not overstep into a person's realm. He may become a crocodile with poison ivy, hard to tame. Instead, it's easier to honor differences instead of forcing conformity.
AGE IS AN ISSUE OF MIND OVER MATTER, IF YOU DON'T MIND, IT DOESN'T MATTER. - MARK TWAIN
In a highly charged situation, if you feel suffocated or stonewalled, summon a senior person for advice. A veteran will definitely have better ideas than a greenhorn. Though age has its adverse effects on their physique, experienced people possess strong mental faculties to see through a problem. This type of consultation can drastically reduce the turnaround time to arrive at a solution. Perception develops through experience with the world.
BE SWIFT TO HEAR, SLOW TO SPEAK
The key ingredient to finding an effective solution for an overwhelming problem is communication. Elicit open, frank discussions. Listen not just to words, but absorb the inner meanings and feelings behind them. Segregate the factual material from emotions. Avoid specious arguments. Hit the nucleus of the problem with an archer's precision. Approach a problem from a positive and rational viewpoint. Edward de Bono's Six Thinking Hats is a good source of information about evaluating different points of view.
HIGH OFFICIALS... LEARN HOW TO MAKE DECISIONS BUT NOT WHAT DECISIONS TO MAKE. - HENRY A.KISSINGER
Be brave in making personal and financial decisions, but don't let your emotions take control. Eschew the non-essential and focus on what is truly important. Be sensitive to the feelings of persons who are impacted by your decision. Personalities differ, so anticipate the consequences and equip yourself in advance.
Appeasement is a popular pacifist practice adopted by yesteryear diplomats. A few, like our Mahatma, succeeded in their honest endeavor, and a few invited vehement criticism from their own people. Churchill decried Chamberlain's appeasement policy as lunatic after the latter signed the Munich agreement. He even went on to the extent of saying, "An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last." His words came true when Anwar-el-Sadat, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, and Yitzhak Rabin succumbed to the fusillade of bullets for being pacifists and appeasers.
Isn't it ironic? Has nobility no place in the dark corridors of power? It's ridiculous the whole world let them down. Had they been more cautious, they would have survived. Yes, only the nimble mind survived the harsh terrains of diplomacy, endured backstage machinations.
Is there something that we can learn from these situations? Does appeasement have any relevance from a corporate standpoint?
It's illusory to summarize rapidly. Appeasement is infinitely intricate that essentially requires to absorb all its different meanings and to grasp all its complexity.
Some people might say that the corporate world is different. It is not infested by shyster politicians, warmongers, or spinmeisters; rather, it's a congregation of bright minds brimming with ideas, striving hard for the well-being of humanity and the world that the Almighty has given us dominion over.
Of course, this reality exists only in someone's imagination. The harsh reality is hard to digest. The corporate world is neither devoid of conflict of interests and verbal altercations nor does it always use dignified deportment. There are always wasted talents, untapped ideas, unnoticed skills, and of course unaddressed grievances.
There should be a mechanism to keep the corporate machinery well oiled and run smoothly. What is it? Appeasement, or in other words, diplomacy.
Diplomacy is a vehicle to achieve equilibrium; equilibrium eventually leads to rapture. No one or nothing is above the law of nature. The universe itself is a mysterious bundle of opposites, positive and negative, dark and light, good and evil, rain and shine, and so forth. Co-existence of opposites is essential to reach a state of equilibrium; otherwise, chaos and pandemonium prevail.
