First Story: Literary Culture and Martial Virtue… (according to The Smiling, Proud Wanderer)
Nham Nga Hanh was previously the Cult Leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult. He was deceived and imprisoned in a dungeon by Vice Cult Leader Dong Phuong Bat Bai. Only much later was he rescued by Lenh Ho Xung.
In the days right after leaving prison, when infiltrating the Sun Moon Holy Cult, every time he heard the cult members chant “Dong Phuong Cult Leader. Literary culture and martial virtue. Ten thousand years and ten thousand generations. Unify the martial arts world,” Nham Nga Hanh felt extremely uncomfortable. Proud by nature, Nham was proud within himself rather than being someone who enjoyed flattery. Every time he heard those lines, he wanted only to kill off all these flatterers. “What literary culture and martial virtue, what ten thousand years and ten thousand generations,” the old man muttered. In the old days, he had only called his subordinate cult members brothers.
Now, Nham Nga Hanh succeeded in killing Dong Phuong Bat Bai, reclaiming the position of Cult Leader. The crowd of cult members chanted “Nham Cult Leader. Literary culture and martial virtue. Ten thousand years and ten thousand generations. Unify the martial arts world.” Hearing it often, Cult Leader Nham grew accustomed to the sound. He felt pleased inside his heart: “Ah, only this matches the Cult Leader of the Sun Moon Holy Cult,” Nham thought.
Second Story: The Enlightened Master (copied from my master)
There were two master and disciple monks cultivating the Tao on a high mountain peak. The entire temple had only two people. The mountain was very distant, far away from the secular world. The master and disciple lived together, daily chanting sutras, striking the wooden fish, eating vegetarian food, and praying to Buddha.
One day, while leisurely drinking a cup of tea, looking down at the distant villages and towns, the master said to the disciple: “People in the secular world are truly greedy, angry, and ignorant. Full of empty fame and illusions. If only sentient beings could understand that material goods and empty fame are merely impermanent, they could escape the vicious circle and attain enlightenment.”
Upon hearing this, the disciple knelt down: “Truly master has attained enlightenment. Master is indeed an enlightened master, having achieved true fruition.” The master calmly stroked his beard and smiled… pleased.
Third Story: Yes Mr. Chairman (a true story)
In 2009, I consulted for the chairman of a company in the fast-moving consumer goods industry. He dressed politely, his clothes pressed smooth, his shoes gleaming polished, his voice as soft as kapok. Transporting him to the Park Hyatt Hotel was a snow-white Lexus. The two of us chatted about work. Honestly, I really liked his way of speaking. He appeared very modest and sparing with words. In the past, I was taught that these actions were manifestations of a trustworthy person.
After an hour of conversation, he said he had to leave and took out his phone to call the driver. Fifteen minutes later, there was a soft voice. I looked up. A young man holding an umbrella stood at attention, bowed down and said to him: “Yes Mr. Chairman, the car has arrived.” He shook my hand and walked out of the hotel. The driver boy followed behind holding an umbrella to shade him from the sun. He sat proudly in the shiny car and glided away. I stood stunned and burst out laughing. Goodness, why so pretentious? Inside my heart, I had an uneasy feeling from that day on.
Later, it was that very chairman who pushed the company into bankruptcy. I almost ruined my reputation and career because of helping him. Wrong moves, delusion, lack of lucidity, and illusions about his own capability caused his entire company to collapse.
Fourth Story: The New Game (true story)
A few years ago, I attended the General Meeting of Shareholders (GMS) of a prestigious construction company in Ho Chi Minh City. A major investor gathered shares buying over 51% and thereby announced taking controlling power. The 70-year-old Director General and the old Board of Directors were deeply shocked. Up until then, even though owning very few shares, they still thought the company belonged to them. Therefore, to them, that big share-buyer was actually just a robber.
And so, despite the negotiation efforts of the new shareholder, the Director General and the Board of Directors fiercely fought back. In the end, unable to bear it, the major shareholder had to organize a GMS to elect a new Executive Board. On the day of the GMS, the old director general went up and made a big scene. In the end, the organizers had to invite security guards to “escort” him out. He lost his position. The new Board of Directors and Director General took over.
He lonely carried his briefcase home. The image of the 70-year-old man being asked to leave alone brought tears to the eyes of many people. As for me, I have been haunted by it ever since. He failed to understand the game and accept the new rules of the game. He was no longer the owner. He had the opportunity to retreat in glory, but he was far too rigid. His final image was that of a frail 70-year-old man stepping out of the company he had helped co-found.
Nguyen Quoc Toan
