After more than two decades in the trenches of multinational corporate warfare, I am tired. I want an R&R that last forever! I do not want to deal with it! Enough bloodshed, pain, and death (most of the latter is metaphorical). How long can one person be a part of it and still be alive? Survival is never enough, winning is the only finish that anyone involved will accept, whatever that means!
Yet, even as I write these words I know that I would have an extremely difficult time walking away from it all. I enjoy the competition. I want to win. I believe our team can succeed. I believe that I have been called for reasons I cannot comprehend by God to this very task. So how can I leave it? How could I possibly consider walking away with the job not yet complete? What would I do that is more important than the steps ahead?
So I struggle and face the battles ahead. The knives are life-taking sharp. The traps are dismembering in their accuracy. The battles turn on diabolical maneuvers. So far I have not even begun to describe what happens when we get beyond the immediate circle of those who are in theory on our side! Remember this is fun and we (I) love my job, right! The battles are there for the perceiving, allies illusive, and vipers sit and wait at every resting place.
In the midst of this, Wisdom comes along and shares a bit of insight.
“Don’t talk about your neighbors behind their backs—no slander or gossip, please. Don’t say to anyone, “I’ll get back at you for what you did to me. I’ll make you pay for what you did!”” (Proverbs 24.28, 29)
Are there rules in life’s warfare? The answer is, surprisingly, yes. There are rules. Sometimes they are unique to the company and others unique to real winning. This is one of the latter. Every tenant says win at all costs. True winning never comes at the cost of people.
Ready? Careful, it’s war!
