"Pride goeth before a fall."- Proverbs 16:18
What is your motivation to serve? Is it because you want to have access to opportunities to benefit financially? Why do you want to serve? Even though the answers can be coached and practiced. If you read between the lines you can pick up the lack of authenticity and sincerity. You can if you listen hard enough discern the truth.
We are all susceptible to being seduced by the dramatic irony of the "Siren's" song. It's an age-old affliction–that at some time we will all face–temptation. How then do we protect or mitigate ourselves from the pain and disillusionment? The mere fact of being human with human frailties. What or who will be the checks and balances? Who or what will be Circe?
What prompted this week's column topic was a conversation, last week, with a former national athlete who came from very challenging circumstances and who shared with me that were it not for sport he and his community would have no respite from grinding poverty and criminality. Sports was an activity, that gave an opportunity to enjoy some peace and joy. And hence his disappointment at what he perceived to be the tragedy of the betrayal of "the people them" by leaders in the country who "ride the backs of ordinary people" and then "drop them like a hot potato once they get through".
He declared that once leaders in this country continue to advantage people, crime will never done. "It ain't have no stopping crime and killers. Leaders who only on self are the real gang leaders."
Mr Lewis, he said, "Shadow sing the truth when he said poverty is hell. Is only oppression."
Off course, it's easy to debunk everything I was told with all kinds of high-brow philosophy and utterances about how much is being done to afford opportunities for betterment and advancement.
I asked this still relatively young man what did he think needed to be done? His reply: "Give us a fighting chance. Is not that we lazy or want to be killers, we didn't born so. What all yuh heads (leaders) need to ask is why did we become so?"
He further added: "It don't have no trust in the place is only discouragement."
He made it clear that is all leaders–sport, politics, business etc. "It's leaders full stop."
We live in a world full of distractions. Some may say it's temptations, not distractions. Sport leaders like all leaders must guard against distractions/temptations. The question, why am I motivated to serve? Is a constant signpost. The answer requires honesty as it can change as time goes along. The road to hell is always paved with good intentions.
In Homer's "The Odyssey", the goddess Circe advised Odysseus that the Sirens would sing irresistible songs to lure men to their doom. Circe told Odysseus to plug his men's ears with wax so they would not be tempted to steer their ships off in the direction of the Sirens. Odysseus went even further, he ordered his men to tie him to the mast, and leave him there until the danger had passed, no matter how much he begged them to release him.
Distractions/temptations are an inevitable reality of human existence. How do leaders stay focused on service and serving those who have entrusted them with the responsibility of stewardship/leadership? How do leaders mitigate against the distractions/temptations of the Sirens of excessive pride, arrogance and self-interest?
Do like Odysseus and heed Circe's warning.
