END OF THE ROPE

Completed on: 18^th Aug’19

Trigger point – A conversation over challenges at work with a friend

Remember that popular dialogue from 3 idiots ‘Life is a race, if you don’t run fast you will be like a broken anda *’. In other words, competition is essential for success and for that you need to run as fast as you can (metaphorically) to surpass as many as possible, else you will fall behind and be a prey to mediocrity, worse, failure.

No matter how much some of us criticize this idea, most of us, unfortunately, are a part of this race. Imagine us being like horses in this race – may the best horse win and in every race there will be a shining ‘black horse’ who would catch everyone’s attention. Black or white, each horse running in this race has reins around it which is controlled by someone/something so that the horse is focused to run in one straight line and cross over every hurdle without distraction.

Each horse in this race is different and unique than the other- one may be a fast runner, perfect for short distances and the other may have very good stamina for longer distances at an average speed. Few may have the best muscular strength which is more apt for pulling weight and so on. Now, at any point, if the horse’s direction needs to be changed, the trick is to find the end of the rope. Else, the horse will continue to go in one straight line blinded by what’s happening around it. Finding the end of the rope is a trick that only a few know.

If you carefully look around in a herd, there will be one who rules the roost. Since when it comes to leadership, horses like us humans, rely on brains and not brute strength to control a herd, the intelligence of the alpha is proportional to the productivity of the herd. Each day, when a new task is assigned to the herd and the horses take off, the alpha needs to find the end of the rope of each horse to steer them towards the right task during the course of the day to complete the bigger task.

On the other hand, few horses cannot be tamed, they are free spirited and run in the wild trying to find their calling. However, they need to perform certain tasks to fend for themselves which includes running, pulling weight and taking care of their family (if any). For them, it is important to find the end of their own rope and keep control over it, to cut away dead weight, unnecessarily tiring routes and go with single- pointed energy towards their goals. The trick here is not to be lured by an alpha back into the race. Some of the good ones who are unable to find the end of their rope to untangle themselves from it are easy preys.

We all prepare ourselves through education, experience, exposure and much more in order to finally find the end of our rope (our calling) and run away from all the madness towards the delicious wilderness. 

Some preach this idea of wilderness and some say against it. But then, there is only one way to know!

Found the end of your rope yet?      

* Egg