LESSON FROM ROCKEFELLER: SEE THE GOOD OF OTHERS TO BRING THE BEST OUT OF THEM
Master Jun Hong Lu: The American oil magnate, John Davidson Rockefeller, was known for his rare ability to brush others’ missteps aside. His broad-mindedness and humorous demeanour helped him foster good rapport with his co-workers.
Once, his business partner, Edward Bedford, suffered a loss of nearly a million US dollars in one of the business ventures in South America. Bedford felt so bad about it that he was baffled, not knowing how to explain it to the chairman, Rockefeller, knowing well that he would be reprimanded.
One afternoon, Bedford caught a glimpse of Rockefeller walking towards him, while having a conversation with another person. In fear of having to come face to face with Rockefeller and explain the South American business failure, Bedford quickened his pace in hopes of avoiding Rockefeller.
Right at this moment, Rockefeller, who was walking behind, called out to Bedford, “Hey, my old friend, it’s good that you are here. We were just talking about your business venture in South America”.
Bedford nervously replied, “Boss, indeed we suffered a huge loss. We only managed to ring fence 60% of our investment”.
Upon hearing this, Rockefeller nonchalantly retorted, “What are you talking about? What have you done wrong? Nothing! In fact, we owe it to your skilful handling of the situation that allowed us to safeguard 60% of our investment. It was a job well done! The results were better than we expected. We couldn’t be more grateful to you”.
Those few words uttered by Rockefeller were enough for Bedford to let go of his emotional baggage. In return, he repaid the kindness demonstrated by Rockefeller with gratitude and loyalty which paved the way for the business to thrive. It was the faith that Rockefeller had in him that Bedford was able to move on from the investment fiasco and take the business to greater heights.
In our interpersonal relationship, friction and conflict are inevitable. In times like this, we should be tolerant towards one another. It also makes sense to close an eye to others’ shortcomings, be more patient and accommodating and not fuss over minor matters. In fact, in accepting minor losses and taking a conciliatory stance, you are protecting yourself.
To succeed in this world, one must learn two things:
first, the ability to be at a disadvantage;
second, the ability to endure hardships.
Sometimes, a touch of silliness reflects a positive mindset—after all, everything in this world is ultimately illusory. Think about the reason why all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas do not look at this world with Their eyes wide open? In fact, Their eyes are perpetually only 30% open and 70% shut because They see the falsity of this world and They understand that every worldly occurrence is nothing but an illusion. Hence, They will never take any of the worldly phenomena too seriously.
When dealing with others, we should learn not to hold grudges, release our attachments, and abandon petty-mindedness. These teachings of the Buddha are meant to cultivate our capacity to forgive, to tolerate, and most importantly, to live harmoniously with those around us.
Source: Master Jun Hong Lu’s Public Talk, Spain, 14 May 2016