Replying to LO24345 --
Dear Organlearners,
Leo Minnigh <l.d.minnigh@library.tudelft.nl> writes:
>Yes, sustaining the leading role. But what is a leading role??
>This is a very serious question. Is the leading role
>- - pulling the wagon
>- - indicating the right pace
>- - indicating the right direction
>- - signalling leadership to the direct followers
>- - personal signature of leadership for later generations
>- - signalling activity, healthyness and competence of leadership
>
>I am very interested in the real story of At, if the followers are
>free to walk, or that they are tightened to the wagon. I guess it
>will be the latter, but it is a nice experiment to losen the cords
>of the followers and see if they still will follow.
Greetings Leo,
I love parables and allegories becuase they are so open to different
INTERPRETATIONS. But as Judy Tal cuationed us a little while ago, there is
also the issue of MANIFESTATIONS.
"The ass trotting in front" is a real story. It is a manifestion. We could
also call it a phenomenon.
There is a few points in the story which I think is essential to it. (1)
Putting one ass in front results in a faster pace.
I am no ass so I do not know why the front ass begin to trot rather
than walk ;-) But perhaps I am closely related to an ass as you
will soon see ;-)
Look at the rate of performance when a human is put into a
position of leadership by some or other mechanism. Does the
rate stay the same, or does it increase. Why does it increase?
Is an increased rate of performance necessary to our well
being?
(2) The ass in front experiences a drain different from the others.
All three asses trot equally fast. Thus all three experience the
same decrease of carbohydrate energy. But the ass in front also
need to empty its bowels systematically. In other words, leading
has a definte effect on its digestive system. Why? Is it fear?
~~~~~~~
Here is a true story. But first I have to mention a curious fact.
A zebra (which is closely related to the domesticated ass)
frightens easily. And when it frightens, it farts. Sometimes the
sound of the fart is so loud that it frightens the zebra so that it
farts again. Occasionally a feedback loop of frightening and
farting can emerge. Those who have seen it will never forget it.
My friend Basjan and I took two of our Brazilian friends on a tour
through Botswana organised by a commercial touring enterprise.
We were about 18 people in the group including the tour leader,
his wife and his daughter Bonnie (16 years old). The tour was
during the late apartheid years. Our neigbouring countries hated
us. When we went through the border post, the tour leader talked
in a haughty, yet civilised, manner to the Botswana officials. I
said to myself: "You are rubbing them up in such a way tha
they cannot retaliate, but they certainly do not love you for it.
I can see a thing coming, but I wish I could see what is coming."
The next ten days were fantastic with incredible experiences.
But all LEKKER comes to an end. We had to go back. Some
50 km before the border post the tour leader was radioed to
turn immediately back so as to lead another unexpected group
of tourists. Thus we approached the border post without him.
As can be expected, the pumpkin struck the fan without him.
The border officials would not allow his wife and daughter through,
making up some trivail reason. There was no accommodation at
the border post there in the wild. The closest acco was some
100 km away, but there was public transport to it. The tour group
had to go through because many were from abroad and had to be
on time for their air flights.
His wife lost her head, walked back along the road until out of
sight, and then went back to the border, crossed the almost
dry river (Limpopo) bed and so left Botswana illegally. When
the Botswana officials became supicious of what happened to
the wife, Bonnie began to cry. Her mother told her to follow suite,
but that would not be possible any more. So I had to think up
a story and convince them that she went back to the big city
Lobatsi so as to contact the government, hoping someone would
give her a lift along the road.
I ordered the driver of one of the tour jeeps to take me and
Bonnie back too so as to try and join her mother. Around the
bend, out of sight, I ordered him to stop so that we could jump
out, then for him to drive further for at least 50km before turning
back. I would escort Bonnie illegaly through the border. Basjan
would lead the rest of the group through the border post in the
legal manner.
Bonnie and I hid behind some low bushes for some minutes.
Yes, just as I have expected, an armoured car with soldiers was
rushing back on the road. They were suspicious too, but ought
not to stop until they had reached the jeep. As soon as they were
out of sight, I took Bonny's hand to led her through the bushes
to the river. She was crying softly. After some 20 meters I could
not contain it any more -- I let out a loud fart. Bonny began to
laugh,
only to switch over to some louder crying. I said to her: "Bonnie,
I cannot help it because I am very afraid. It is a fart rather than
something else." So she laughed again, just to switch over to
louder crying when realsing she was laughing. I put my hand over
her mouth so as to muffle the sound. I begged her to cry softer.
She managed to control herself. We continued with our sneaking
toward the river triugh the bushes.
Alas, some 20 meters further, another loud fart. Bonnie began
to laugh hysterically. I farted again out of shock, wispering to her:
"Bonnie, its deadly serious. Fright seems to make me fart. Every
sound which you make frightens me more. Please keep quiet
otherwise it will be become more substantial than farting. I truely
fear for your safety" She was a brave young maiden for she shut
up tightly. But from there on down to the river her eyes were
streaming with tears because of crying, but her mouth was
grinning widely because of laughter. She was slamming her fists
against hear breast like some primate female. I will never forget
the looks of her.
As we were crossing the river bed in the open, I expected the
rat-tat-tat of soldiers shooting. As we reached the other side a
wild hog came snorting out of the undercover. Out went my
last fart and something more substantial. As I lifted Bonnie
over the fence (in those days I was strong enough to do it),
she said to me: "Oom At, I will treasure your farting as a sign
of bravery." Well, I had to rush over the high fence too, then
heading for the most secluded water tap to wash away my
"signs of bravery" before joining the rest of the tour group.
They were already crossing the bridge and it seemed that all
had went well.
~~~~~~~
You see Leo, I would explain through my own experiences that
the ass in front was losing little droppings because of fear. But
I am sure that others would have different experiences by which
different explanations could be offered.
(3) All were able to continue after this special draining, but none
as leaders aftre having been drained.
There is something very curious when a team of asses pull a
cart by walking as only asses can do. They maintain a steady
pace, but at leisure. The ropes/throngs which connect them to the
cart hang slack, curving downwards. It seems as if they do not
exert any pull on the ropes so that the cart seems to move forward
on its own. Flogging them will only cause them to straighten the
ropes for a dozen yards or so before they become slack again.
Asses can pull a cart much further than horses or oxen can do.
Thus it seems as if they are very efficient in their pulling, although
the pace is too slow for a driver in a hurry.
>BTW Donkeys and mules are very intelligent animals. I know
>of another story related to my background.
Indeed. I can tell many stories about their almost human
intelligence.
The most extraodinary thing about an ass (donkey) is how it
sees with its ears. It will stare with its eyes into the distant
as if absent minded. But keep a look out for those big ears.
They function as a radar antenna, telling the ass all it wants to
know. Take caution -- when the ass pulls it ears straight against
its neck at the back of the head, hell is going to break loose.
Get away as fast as possible.
>It seems that At compares leadership with rigidity?!
No, the leader becomes rigid for leadership after that extraordinary
drain has taken place.
But here is a question to the converse. Can a leader truely
lead without such an extraordinary drain? I think of some
political leaders who after a couple of decades of leading do
not seem to be drained in the least, but reminds me more
and more of fat cats.
>Does it also means that leadership should be a temporary job,
>and that job rotation even in the top of the hierarchie is worth?
It seems to be the case when the organisation wants to maintain
the maximum pace. In such a case a leader is necessary. But
when the organisation wants to cover the greatest distance, its
rather the "one for all and all for one" strategy which may work best.
>But I wonder why the followers don't leave droppings during the
>course. Is it anxiety, is it because they don't want to question
>leadership, is it to spare their free energy for better times, or
>don't they have free energy at all to produce droppings?
Leo, you have asked very important questions. We should not
forget that when the team is spanned out to graze and rest for
a while, they may behave normally and even let let go of their
usual droppings. Its when they pull the cart that these curious
behaviours emerge. The curious point is:-
(4) The asses at the back follow the leader in everything, even
in maintaining a trotting pace against their natural order,
except for allowing themselves to be so extraodinarily
drained.
Perhaps the lesson of this parable of the "The ass trotting in
front" is that followers ought to have much more compassion
for the leader in front. They expect compassion from the leader,
but what about extending compassion themselves.
But perhaps the lesson is that the making of little droppings
at regular intervals by the leader is not any compassion or
even caring love at all. What about the driver, the wise Damara
who organises it all according to some imlicate nature?
>I wonder how long At will please us with his droppings.
Yes, perhaps it is time for me to shift to the back. In this case,
my contributions are nothing more but little droppings along
a certain journey. As such they mean nothing, except to mark
the road we are following.
What is important is this road. Where do we come from and
where are we heading to? Why are we together on this LO-list?
Why does Rick maintain this list with such dilligence. Who is
the wise old Damara?
The miracle about a story which does not involves us directly,
but which still has directly a lesson in it for us, is that it can be
told over and over again and each time the lesson will teach us
something new.
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@gold.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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