The strong man or pehelwan is a recipe for failure and underdevelopment. This behaviour starts in the home with a father or grandfather always having the final say, sometimes his decisions going against the majority.
It would be interesting to conduct a survey of families and their success or failure. To what extent does consultation and consensus building, or the lack thereof, lends itself to success or failure. The West corporate model is a success story as a competent group of individuals are usually provided with the title of directors. Their knowledge and experience create policies which the CEO and his subordinates implement.
Interestingly, the culture of consultation and the building of consensus have been replaced by the strong man. While there is the semblance of democracy, the reality is one strong individual imposing his will on the members. And yes, there is consultation but with weak assistants who have limited or no knowledge and generally in the organization for the seedha, dakshina and the meal being served.
Japan, like other countries, had a series of warlords who were fighting one another and challenging the sovereignty of the emperor. This constant warring led to the underdevelopment and backwardness of Japan. Nevertheless, in the 1860s, the warlords, seeing the US warship threatening to invade their land, buried their differences and rallied behind their Emperor. This recognition of a bigger threat and the ability to take corrective measures set in motion a series of steps that led to Japan becoming an industrial power house.
Successful organizations including governments, NGOs and private enterprises are run on policies and not the whims and fancies of a strongman or strongwoman. What is the government policies on agriculture or culture? Are ministers of government, state board appointees and the members of the executive on the same page on these matters?
Old age is always around the corner for all of us. If we want our influence to survive us it would be best to preserve it in policies forged in consultation with the people’s welfare in mind and not the whimsical brooding of an individual. Today the average age of an organization is twenty – years before it begins to wither away. And why this short life-span? It is only because it was a one-man show and after his demise the rats who were surrounding him all jumped ship to continue their culture of sycophancy.
Had an institution a policy to serve meals or provide education, such an institution would have attracted like-minded individuals to continue along that path. Unfortunately, serving an individual is most challenging as his mind is like the wind, never constant and difficult to gauge. It is only fools who are going to surround such an individual to bask in his limited glory and success.
President Donald Trump is the best example of this whimsical individual. Like a pehelwan, Trump did not consult with Congress before declaring war against Iran. Today he wants to end the war, but his opponents are ready to fight on. Nevertheless, Trump would always have those non-achievers egging him on. Like Ravana’s courtiers, they will continue to sing the praises of Trump not for any tangible benefits but to feel ten foot tall – to feel like a MAN for once!