Politics of Life: The Castle

Politics of Life: The Castle

The Castle

Fictional Story by Biresh Thakkar

The Past

There once was a vision. That vision started with a few that dared to push the envelope and think outside the box. How to take an organization to the next level? Guiding and nurturing to create productive results. Results that would put $’s in their top and bottom line revenues. This could be accomplished by having individuals that were progressive and forward thinking in leadership roles that would not only foster and support but also lead by example. To successfully meet these challenges in an organization that is full of negative politics, corrupt motives, back door deals and simply unproductive, it called for a shift that could only be sustained by a total “change in guard”. All or nothing. Any lingering trace of the cancer could result in a relapse. This vision was so powerful that it started to be contagious. As with any empowering and thought provoking idea, it started to sweep the nation and gain support. The wisdom created the foundation and battle ground which the fight will take place on.

The simplest fundamental issues that would be the weapons of the new leadership would be integrity, ethics and respect. The objective was not to destroy the opponent but

remove them. As with all aspects of life, the battle was fought on the game board of chess. Now the pieces needed to be recruited. They needed to be passionate, empowered,

driven and believe in the vision so to be so consumed in its quest. The possibility of change. The possibility to be part of something bigger. The possibility to make a positive difference. It was easy to find the pawns. Quickly the generals were born. They were just pawns with a touch of martyr in them. They were willing to go a little further for the cause.

The Present

Many opening shots were fired. There were many little battles. There were character attacks. Both sides started to see who they could muscle and what motivated them. Some

quit in frustration from lack of progress. However, as in the fight between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins. Pieces on the chess board moved slowly at first as to not give away any strategy. The pawns were easy to take out on both sides. However, the real battle had not yet begun. Both sides were only flexing muscle. When the timing was just right and the stars were in alignment the warriors were revealed. This will be forever

known as a point of no return. The lines were drawn. Enough was enough. From then on any lack of integrity, ethics and respect would be challenged and meet with extreme resistance. Quickly three sides formed. The progressive party, old guard and undecided bystanders.

The strategic plan was drafted with the input of dozens of intelligent and passionate generals. Two castles, a bishop, a knight, a queen and king were identified from the best of the best. Everyone but the queen and king would need to be expandable. The tactical plans called for the queen and king only to be used for defensive positions never offensive or to engage in any battle regardless of motive or scenario. This made the game challenging and raised the stakes to a new level. This also provided more purpose to the cause by adhering to integrity, ethics and respect.

The knight was totally awesome. As he moved around the terrain with ease and masterful finesse. The knight was articulate and nimble. Never staying in one place too long he was able to plant the traps and mines without being noticed. When he was in threat of being exposed or engaged the expendable castle was the force. The weapon of choice for confrontation and hard hitting bluntness. The castle had an incredible toughness that nothing could penetrate. The secret to its power was passion and the belief in singular purpose. As a real castle is the sum of its individual brick and mortars this castle was the sum of the pieces on the chess board. Its mortar was a composition of integrity, ethics and respect all held together with trust in the team. One can chip away at a castle but it’s almost impossible to destroy them. Thus the existence of many for centuries like the Great Wall.

The bishop sat back and preached as most do. “This is evil” and “that is good” were the purposeful statements. You know you are listening to a bishop when a sentence starts with the prevailing term “listen”. The bishop was always portrayed as powerful. Putting him up at the level of sainthood and unreachable was a core strategy. The other pieces were to protect and defend at all costs. What most don’t understand is that the bishop moves around the board pretty swiftly.