The Body Builder

Imagine a very muscular guy, surrounded by lots of weaker people. He's just finished lifting his weights. He's feeling strong and confident, ready to take on the world.

On his way out of the gym he finds a giant boulder in his path. He must get past it. It's in his way. He's got places to go, people to see, things to master and control.

On either side of the boulder are lots of other people. Some are solid and strong, though not nearly as strong as he is. Some are small and frail.

Though there are lots of people who could help him move this boulder, he doesn't ask for any assistance. And why should he? He's the strongest, most capable dude among the crowd.

So he bends over the boulder, grabs it and begins to lift. Nothing.

He looks up at the expectant crowd, smiles, and returns to the task. Again, it's too much for him.

Two more failed attempts and our friend becomes frustrated. He looks up at the assembled crowd, who also want the boulder moved. After all, it's in their way as well.

A smaller guy with glasses approach, about to offer his help. But a snarl from the Body Builder moves him back.

A group of five or so strong men and women (though none as strong as our "hero") who were about to offer their help also back away. They're intimidated by what they just witnessed.

One more attempt by the Body Builder, now with scuffed hands and an aching back. Another failure.

Now embarrassed and out of breath, he turns to the common people and very casually yells out, nnn“HEY WEAKLINGS, GET OVER HERE AND HELP ME MOVE THIS THING!”

Do you think anyone's going to help out? They’re going to scatter to the wind. Although they also wanted and/or needed to get past the boulder, their fear of experiencing the same failure of the Body Builder overwhelms their desire for freedom.

Some of these people may fear the Body Builder himself. Who wants to get close to that guy?

So the boulder stays where it is. Everyone moves away from the giant rock and goes back to where they were.

And Mr. Musclehead is still there by himself.

Consider this: sometimes the little guy is smarter than the bodybuilder. He's had challenges because of his lack of strength, so he's had to work differently.

He's developed ways of moving heavy objects that don’t involve brute strength.

Lots of people have to compensate for their lack of muscle, and along the way they learned to leverage their limited strength to create something that could move more than ten muscle guys could do by themselves.

In fact, our first offer of help was from one of those geniuses. He had the answer, but was scared away from helping because of the hostile environment created by the Body Builder.

There are lessons for all of us in this little story. If you're a stronger individual than most, don't let your power take you away from your interdependence with others.

People admire strength, so long as it isn't at the expense of their own achievement or self-esteem.

If you have that kind of strength, be a role model of grace and tolerance. Get people to work with you, not fear you. Bring out the best in others!

If you're not the strongest person in the crowd, don't discount the talents you have. Follow the leaders. Use their strength to advance your own cause.

The leaders may need you more than you might think. Bring your best to the table. And bring it proudly.

We all have strength. We all have value. Let yours and everyone else's shine through!