Earlier this week we had a pizza lunch at work for some of the employees. I bring this up because there was something significant that took place at this gathering, or at least I thought it was significant. The manager that purchased the pizza without being prompted took into account everyone that was going to attend and made a special purchase of an all veggie pizza for a Muslim gentleman that works in that group. The Muslim gentleman is a soft spoken guy and is very mild mannered, in my opinion someone that you could easily overlook if you were not in tune with serving the world. I bring this up because that simple gesture made this guy light up. I am not part of the group I was just enjoying the free pizza, but it made me think about how I handle the people that work for me as well as all of the people that I come in contact with. This guy was so happy that someone thought of him and his religious beliefs.
Muslims have certain restrictions of what they eat called Halal, which means permissible in Arabic, and these restrictions specifically do not allow pork and only meat that has been slaughtered a certain way called Dhabiha (which means slaughtered while still alive). We all know how much pork based meat is on pizza and there is little doubt that the local pizzeria in North Texas follow any kind of religious preparations with their meat products.
The kicker to me is the polar opposite that the manager of this group is in his own beliefs from the Muslim gentleman. I think that was the biggest reason that this act of kindness was so well received and clearly moved the Muslim man to smile and talk openly and freely while we ate, something that I have never seen him do in the five years working at this company.
Needless to say I was impressed and even though I feel that I am a thoughtful guy I know that I overlook people that are hurting or need to be reached out to all the time.
As warriors we need to make sure that we are serving in nature. We need to be the people that are leaders and the best way to lead is by being a servant first. That goes for our working environment, our marriages, our fatherhood, and amongst our friends. This is also how we need to approach the world and how we can draw people in.
People want something to follow, me included, and often times we latch on to things that are superficial and plain bad. Example would be the extremist that bombed the Boston marathon... young men that were horribly misled and just wanted to be a part of something.
Sometimes I think that being a servant is considered synonymous with being a pushover or a pansy. All great leaders that have been successful were also selfless, servants that thought about those following them first before their own needs.
As you hang out this weekend remember that we are trying to start something with this philosophy of warriorship that creates a community that lives with the right principles in our lives. One of those principles is most definitely servanthood.
"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of life, that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself." Ralph Waldo Emerson