76- LOOKING FOR A LEADER

What is the Supernatural Power that creates and gathers all circumstances and the people to accomplish an endeavor?

And what is the mundane cleverness that creates opportunities and manipulates the people to accomplish an endeavor?

The difference here is in the basis. One aims at the common objective that has a divine character. The other, regardless of its form and appearance, has a personal end that comes from self-centered needs to serve the interests of an individual or a group.

Those with supernatural power can see a task that serves common interests. To accomplish it, they must confront adversity with their willpower and effort to overcome the challenge.

What must be done in order to achieve this objective? Is there any need to be fulfilled prior to achieving this objective? How should we act to get others’ help to achieve this task? By what kind of people and under what circumstances should this objective be carried out successfully?

As a matter of fact, supernatural power is not about magic but about knowing: to know ourselves and others, as well as the circumstances, in order to act appropriately in time and place.

To know about human beings is like a knife with a double blade. Those who have knowledge, but who have not ended their greediness, are a danger to the people around them. They can be very dangerous and wicked, but they know how to put on a good appearance so that people around them can be easily deceived. They are good at manipulating others, deceiving them with ideals and high goals to serve their personal interests. The more they know, the more they become profound, subtle, clever, mischievous, and discreet. They have different covers based on their needs and what they want to get, as well as on what people around them may want or need in their own environment. Such a person can be a well-known politician, a scholar, a person of culture, an educator, a philosopher, a philanthropic Zen master, a journalist, and so forth.

The more clever and subtle they are, the more difficult it is to unmask them.

How do we detect them?

This seems an easy but is also a difficult question.

It is difficult if we do not know and judge ourselves. It is easy if we examine ourselves and the relationship between us and them. We need to evaluate our life and what we want to accomplish, as well as the outcomes of what we have done and of what they have done. These outcomes will help to assess who we are and those we work with.

Do we have a relationship of equality in our work? Or are we talked into it, controlled, maneuvered, and manipulated? We should ask ourselves whether we have self-control in this cooperation or whether we are just pawns being led into every unknown move.

Do we really know the roles we are assuming? Do we really know where we stand and what we should do in any situation? Or are we just standing in the blind side and moving under the direction of others? We should consider whether we are suited to the role, the title, and the position that we have or whether we are being given these by others for their convenience to manipulate.

Greed for status and position and promises for a bright future often turn ambitious dreamers into instruments or stepping stones for malicious abusers.

To learn about and get to know a leader, we need to observe those who surround him. From the view of his partisans and collaborators and the friends who surround him we can trace back to his hidden root, which may be deeply concealed under many layers that comprise his background (intellectual, cultural, educational, political, or religious).

When we can see the truth about someone, we can also realize our own nature. We can define the role and boundaries in which we stand. Thus, we can find those who are compatible with us, who are suited to cooperate with us or to lead us.