The Influential Men

Have you met a kind of person who turns you into a passive listener when you talk with him; yet, when you finish, you don’t feel like being dominated but won & guided? Who runs into you when you challenge him but you end up taking his arguments as preaching & not offence. Who hurls the pure laughter on some occasional joke- which more often than not he only cracks- that confirms that fun in the event is thoroughly savored as it’s mean to be. Who keeps his face & tone expressionless no matter whether he goes through obliteration or achievement. Who throws himself completely into the task in hand when he starts doing things & leads from the front in whatever he does. Who often chooses to step out of his comfort zone to be a ship in the everlasting ocean-be it stormy or serene- far away from the shore; still envisages as if he owns the sea. Who is seen enjoying each moment of his life with the purest joy; commanding a pleasure he knows, he owns & deserves.

Yes?

Then you had had the chance of meeting one of those superlative men on earth. The men with fierce clarity in their minds, demanding firmness in their decisions, decisive authority in their voices & brilliant radiance in their eyes. That’s why when you have a rare chance to have a yak with such a person, your eyes are held by his; going deep into your conscience to unearth your mind. And you sense the distant feeling that some way or the other you are answerable to this man & to the laws of ethics he has created. Influence, as they call it!

The opulence of the world is hoarded in the men like these. They produce more than they consume to add value to commodities they create through their work.

I hadn’t had the privilege of meeting such people many times but whatever opportunities I had; they shelled out giving some imperative revelations. The revelations that render the verity that the suffering they are given by the world is the exact antithesis of the peace & serenity seen on their face.

It’s said that the greatness is a product of pain. And the pain comes from the sacrifice of the dearest. Be it a thing, feeling, emotion or person. These men are used to bearing this pain so effortlessly that we wonder from where they summon the strength to continue moving ahead in tough times, unaffected by the agony in life. Such is their epitome; that the belongings they renounce appear not their needs but the things in need of them!

I find these barons very good at taking uncomfortable decisions in quick time. And they do it in full knowledge of the purpose of their actions & the consequences of the same. This needs deserting some things for the well being in long run They sacrifice the gratification as the first cost of solving problem, emotion as the first cost of learning lesson & desire as the first cost of core competence, their greatest tool. Thus so because they know the basic rule: “Never expect anything of nature without trading your best effort in return. Earn your need. Pay for it.” And they know that these forfeits are the price for the life they will, the grand finale which eventually justifies the fights they summoned for these sacrifices.

In the end, when the battle is won with a great deal of endeavor put in, they are left with the perpetual feeling of triumph: “I’ve paid enough to win the world! I’ve earned enough to move the world!!”

They walk tall. Always. Through the grave of human ethics. Through the depravity of poor bastards pulling their leg. Through the battles with mean, fought on no moral grounds. Through the semblance of corrupt, coward minds who throw the weight around while talking aloud, but turn the face other way around in the need of action, taking neither lead nor subordination. They stand all these. And never refrain from fight.

How do they do it? And more importantly, why?

I think what forbids a productive mind the best it can put up, is the weakening feeling that comes in different forms. As fear. As anger. As despair. As hatred. As complacency. But the factor that affects most is guilt. The guilt of not having abided by the moral code that has a wider acceptance. But the powerful people are devoid of this feeling as they live by their own rules for, as I mentioned, they act in full acknowledgment of their actions & the reasons that justify the same. They are the guiltless people. Strongest on earth. And hence show the integrity to give justice to their pursuit- to transform this world into their world. The world with peace & pure happiness. They are seen fighting & winning in all these scenarios.

At times they try to live on the edge as if they love every moment of insanity. Because they understand that those who think the edge is not enough, take too much space & world always runs short of space. After all what’s life without a little game?…a little risk?…a little adventure?

Often I find them completely starved of emotion. But a few acquaintances showed me that they are as human as a common man, having highest regard & attachment for the things they value. But this indifference to emotion requires an effort not to reveal those expressions on face & body language. The effort that borrows some part of their everlasting, unlimited strength.

Finally, the usual symptom of a great man is his integrity & courage to go against the mass flow denying the established system. Now all those giggling faces would ask why oppose the code of the junta? I’d just care to give the lines which one of my friends utters many times:

“Those who swim against the flow of river don’t do so because they want to discern themselves from the rest. They do so because they know that their goals are at the other side”

That’s all.

-Om.