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Tuesday 24 April 2012

Does Wallowing in "Mud" Make me a...?


It is he who is uncertain of whom he is that is afraid to get muddy, lest he be seen as a pig.

Two scenes from the life of Jesus immediately jump out at me: the one is where He was accused of associating with publicans, with His detractors intimating of Him, “birds of a feather flock together;” the other was where He so willingly accommodated the parents who brought their children to Him to be blessed.  Here His Disciples, then the wannabes, would have driven them away, for they had no political collateral to offer.

The kind of hostility that characterised the Disciples when they strove for position is what often defines persons who are in the employ of someone else.  These individuals often fear that civility opens the door to familiarity, which eventually leads to contempt.  Hence they must maintain strict lines of protocol, so no one forgets “who’s in charge.”  

Persons who are not defined by positions held are less concerned about the implications to self when they are civil, helpful, and not defensive of their “turf.”  These more attractive persons make much better leaders, because they love to see everyone do well.  Their counterparts, on the other hand, feel threatened whenever their peers or subordinates do well. These individuals are cynical, grumpy, and play with the team only when they are in charge, or can clearly get direct benefits – anything less, for them, is like wallowing in mud like a pig (and they are emphatic about not being pigs). But some would argue that cynicism, grumpiness, and mean spiritedness are types of mud.

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