The follower
A biker drives on the highway. He goes fast, as he should, but whenever he finds a large vehicle, he matches its speed and drives close behind it. He does this consistently, and one might wonder why he does so. Isn’t it more dangerous to drive right behind a truck, as he can’t see ahead of it, and it might have to suddenly stop, giving him no time to react?
If you were to ask him why he does this, he will say, “I do this because I am protecting myself from the wind.” You may disagree with his reasoning and risk assessment skills, but the drive to protect oneself from nature is involuntary.
Those who closely follow are always looking for something strong to hide behind, to hide their weaknesses. This is the nature of the follower. This is not a bad thing.
Those who are worthy of being followed must, in turn, be strong themselves. They must teach, inspire and lead, but they must do so with the final aim of protecting their followers from nature’s inflexible grace.
Those who are worthy of being followed must be a pillar, standing tall and proud and alone in a desert, providing shade from the scorching sun. They must be a wall, immovable and impenetrable, preventing the flood waters from reaching the village. They must be a fire, and in a cold winter night those huddled around it must feel its warm embrace.
Those who want to lead must learn to follow, as if they haven’t felt this warm embrace, they don’t understand what it means to follow and to be followed, what it means to be shielded and to shield from nature.
The natural state of being is down. This is the ultimate windstorm, the final burning sun, the great last winter. And as the pillar shades, and as the wall blocks, and as the fire warms, and as the truck shields, so must the followed protect.
And his followers will come together, and they will look up. And they will see a shining and resolute beacon, its light so bright as to be almost blinding. But as long as they look with seeing eyes, they will be protected from the shadows. That is what it means to follow, and that is what it means to be someone worthy of being followed.