Carrying A Big Stick

He was just a frail little man, hunched over as he shuffled out of the restaurant. Nobody in our group recognized him ... except me. The cane that he tightly clutched for support was but an impotent shadow of the "big stick" he had carried in his heyday. But those days were gone; the balance of power had shifted.

Seeing him took me back many years to rumors of how he had brandished the "big stick" of position and influence to get juicy contracts tossed to his friends. I don't know that he ever directly forced anyone to do wrong, but the big stick was always within reach ... just in case. Just the thought of it could apparently "entice" others to do things they'd really rather not have done. Careers were at stake, and the big stick was an effective persuader.

Should he have been asked, he would probably have boasted of his efforts to promote independent business, the ideals of capitalism, and all that's American. But the big stick echoed another philosophy. Mao Tse-Tung once said, "Every Communist must grasp the truth: political power grows out of the barrel of a gun." The big stick was certainly no gun, but the old man had still used it to "encourage" others to do things contrary to conscience. It's the same idea.

The scales of justice are sometimes balanced by time as the encroachment of the years has a way of stripping us down to the bare essentials. Aging billionaire Howard Hughes reportedly said that he would give all that he had for one good meal. His stick was certainly big enough to buy whatever he wanted, but even it was powerless to bring the most basic pleasure to life.

We can use the power and influence entrusted to us in one of two ways -- each with its own rewards. We can compel others to do things our way, or we can help them achieve their goals. Said another way, we can hoist the big stick to beat others down, or we can extend it to pull them up. We find both approaches used by Pip, the main character in Charles Dickens' "Great Expectations."

When Pip, who had known nothing but poverty, unexpectedly came into a fortune, he tried to enhance his image by putting on airs with disgusting extravagances. To his credit, he also covertly contributed a tidy sum to advance the career of his friend, Herbert Pocket. Pip later lost his money and was cast back into poverty. Who came to his rescue? Herbert Pocket, of course. His secret investment had paid off.

I share this story as a reminder. From time to time we will find ourselves in positions of influence -- holding a "big stick," so to speak -- but how will we use it? To further our own cause at someone else's expense? Despite the temptation, I hope not. In the end, we usually best help ourselves by helping others.

Copyright 1998 James McAlister

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