20. Contemplation

The Lines
Bottom. [6] It is no disgrace for an ordinary man not to understand exactly what it is that
gives the superior man the influence he has. This is only made clear by intensive study and
contemplation. But for a superior man to be unaware of the elements of character that enable
him to be a leader that people look up to draws into question his qualifications for being
a leader. In order for him to fill a position of leadership, he should have a complete understanding
of the meaning of moral leadership and how what he says and what he does
influences others. He must see clearly how his life can be an inspiration and a guide to
those he leads.
2. [6] A man of ordinary abilities is not able fully to comprehend how he affects others by
the way he thinks, speaks and acts. In doing such things, he merely reacts to how outward
circumstances affect himself and his own self-interests. He is not quite able to think in a
broader context and see how others might think and feel about what he does. He does not
judge right and wrong by how things impact upon groups of people, but only how things
impact upon himself. In addition, he does not understand what drives another's actions and
what another's motives might be. Here also, his concerns are all centered around himself,
and he does not grasp what are the needs and wants of other men, especially if they differ
from his own needs and wants. This is sufficient for ordinary persons who need not think
of anything beyond themselves and their own immediate concerns. But this is woefully inadequate
for a man who is responsible for others, for negotiating with others, and for making
decisions that will affect the lives of others. Such a self-centered, inadequate viewpoint
can only lead to poor judgments and mediocre outcomes.
3. [6] Ironically enough, a man begins to understand others by contemplating himself. Not,
of course, by thinking only of himself and his own needs and interests, but by gaining insight
into himself and how he is led by his own self-interest, often to the exclusion of considering
the effects that what he does has on others. When he begins to see in these broader
terms, he begins to understand how other men are often led by the same self-interests. But
he also can begin to understand how other men have certain real needs and interests that
his own self-concerns often ignore. With this knowledge, he begins to acquire an enlarged
vision of not only himself, but of his place in the world of others. When he can do that, he
can make decisions that encompass the interests of larger groups of people. His mind extends
beyond himself, and he is able to think in more objective terms. He begins to under-stand that self-knowledge is not really centered on "ME" but on the place that a person occupies
in the world as a whole.

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