Lessons from an old Western

There is an old “western” story concerning an old prospector who entered into the town of El Indio, Texas leading a tired old mule. He has sold everything he had and like many others was searching for gold and wanted to invest in it.

The old man headed straight for the only saloon in town, to have a drink.
He walked up to the saloon and tied his old mule to the hitch rail.

As he stood there, brushing some of the dust from his face and clothes, a young gunslinger stepped out of the saloon with a gun in one hand and a bottle of whisky in the other.

The young gunslinger looked at the old man and laughed, saying, “Hey old man, can you dance?”

The old man looked up at the gunslinger and said, “No son, I don’t dance… never really wanted to.”

A crowd had gathered as the gunslinger grinned and said, “Well, you old fool, you’re gonna dance now!” and started shooting at the old man’s feet.

The old prospector, not wanting to get a toe blown off, started hopping around like a flea on a hot skillet.

Everybody standing around was laughing.

When his last bullet had been fired, the young gunslinger, still laughing, holstered his gun and turned around to go back into the saloon.

The old man turned to his pack mule, pulled out a double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun and cocked both hammers.

The loud clicks carried clearly through the desert air. The crowd stopped laughing immediately.

The young gunslinger heard the sounds too, and he turned around very slowly. The silence was deafening. The crowd watched as the young gunman stared at the old timer and the large gaping holes of those twin 12 gauge barrels.

The barrels of the shotgun never wavered in the old man’s hands, as he quietly said “Son, have you ever kissed a mule’s bottom?”

The gunslinger swallowed hard and said, “No sir .. . . but . . . but I’ve always wanted to.”

There are a few lessons for all of us here in this story:

Don’t be arrogant.

Don’t waste ammunition.

Whisky makes you think you’re smarter than you are.

Always make sure you know who is in control.

And finally, don’t mess around with old folks; they didn’t get old by being stupid.

Older people are more patient; at least most them. Perhaps they have gained more life experiences and they know that being brash and rude accomplishes nothing. Many young people I know are very talented, educated and creative and they are very respectful. Yet there are many younger ones out there who are so brash, rude, proud and arrogant; they strut around like peacocks wanting to get people’s attention and constantly putting a show in order to be seen and noticed. Social media spaces are full of them.

If you would look at the lessons we can all learn from the list presented, let me propose another angle of leadership lesson we can all learn from:

Arrogance is an attitude problem. The way to deal with this unhealthy element is to stay humble at all times.

Ammunition may refer to knowledge and finances. Mature people do not have to flaunt what they know and they certainly know how to manage their money and live a life of simplicity and frugality. They do not need to show off.

Whiskey may refer to the senseless partying and activities one engages in. Mature people stay away from destructive lifestyles that may lead them to scandals or problems they will regret later.

Knowing who is in control may refer to respect for authority or seniority.

Rather than scoffing or laughing at people who are older why not earn their respect and learn from them?

I remember many years ago together with a bunch of speakers I was answering questions hurled by the audience during Q&A time. Someone threw me a question and I detected an answer in the question itself and I wanted the questionnaire to realize that he can find the answer in his own question. And so I said, “Would you repeat your question again, speak a little louder and a little slower?”

One of the younger speakers grabbed the microphone, sensing an opportunity to be cute and funny said, “Yes you have to repeat it because Francis is old now and he forgets easily.” He got what he wanted. The audience laughed a little but I noticed that the older ones among them did not.

They can see the blatant disrespect of the younger speaker and his cheap shot at being funny. I calmly ignore the interrupter who was many years younger than me and carefully, methodically and logically answered the question. And to my surprise the whole 200 of the audience stood up and gave me a standing ovation.

It does pay to be patient, ignore the insults, concentrate on daily improvement, serving the needs of others and enjoying this life that God has given me. And by the way, the younger speaker in our story today is no longer young. And unless he changes his ways, he might encounter another party who would not be so easy and might asked him if he ever “kissed a mule’s bottom?”

(Francis Kong with his highly acclaimed Level Up Leadership learning event will be back with its next run on June 5-6 at Makati Diamond Residences. Early registrations and reservations can be made by contacting April at +63928-559-1798 or register online at www.levelupleadership.ph)