There are debates, discussions and rarely are these calm. Things get hot and egos get hurt. What is amazing is the regularity and consistency of such things. What could be the reason for this? Are there two sides, one on the side of Sauron and the other on the side of Gandalf? Rarely. The Lord of the Rings, gives a message here. Gandalf is initially grey, things are not clear. But as things progress, he is forced to be reborn as “Gandalf the White”, after an epic battle.
I think things in life are also similar. Mostly, to start with, things are grey. There is difference of opinion, but there is no clarity on things. However, over time one is supposed to come to term with the reality and take a call on the “whiteness” or “blackness” of a thing. Now this is where human eccentricity steps in. Rather than coming out of our tower, like Soromon, we keep seeing the world from the same perspective. The result is that more often than not, we end up on the “black” side than the “white” one. For example, most of us still view our actions on the environmental front as “saving the earth”, where the reality is we are just saving ourselves.
There are numerous examples of human eccentricities but I think none exemplifies it more than that of an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurs are, essentially, very eccentric humans. But they are eccentric in a different sense. Their eccentricity is based more on their ideas and beliefs than their egos. There is a very thin line between the two and it is very easy for the two to cross the boundaries. And in some sense, I think that it is this thing that differentiates a “good” entrepreneur from a “bad” one. I mean an eccentric person who is able to be madly in love with his ideas and beliefs while also being full of humility, is certainly one to be with. Here, you have a friend like Gandalf. He will appear to disturb your peaceful existence but in real sense he is only trying to bring you out of your closed perspective and warn you about the fatal nature of your current existence. Gandalf’s friendship is hard, for most part but I think its worth it. Because in the end you win, and your victory has a purpose, a spirit and a stubborn belief. Its an eccentric solution to eccentricity!
