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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