There has never been anyone as powerful as Brer Anansi. At least, that was what he kept telling himself and anybody who was willing to listen.
And really, in his world, he could do almost anything he wanted. He had the support, he was large and in charge, and the people around him willingly agreed with just about anything he said. In this reality, no one dared tell this King he was naked.
What more could anyone want? The power and control Anansi had dreamed of all his life was finally his.
There was just one teeny weeny problem. Now that he got it, he was not sure what to do with it.
You would think the possibilities would be boundless…but remember this is the Twilight Zone.
And Brer Anansi had discovered that with unlimited authority and impotent opposition he could do whatever he wanted. Who could stop him?
The more he got away with, the more outrageous he became.
If somebody pointed out a problem, he would dismiss it.
If somebody asked a perfectly reasonable question, he would insult them.
If the facts didn’t support what he was saying, instead of confronting the evidence, Anansi would turn on whoever presented it.
And if anybody objected? He would lambaste them. He was never short of something nasty to say about anybody who dared question him.
Who dared to object? And so what if they did?
At first, those with the interest of the forest at heart tried to reason with him.
They explained what was going wrong. They pointed out the consequences. Some even suggested ways to put things right.
Brer Anansi couldn’t care less.
Who were they to question him? They had their chance before, didn’t they? Why didn’t they fix everything then? And why were they making so much noise now?
All these troublemakers! Always complaining. Never satisfied. They should stop making noise and leave him alone.
And the rest of you, come party in the Twilight Zone with me! You know I have plenty of love for my people. Together, we are taking over the forest and making it our own!
No amount of debate had any impact.
Brer Anansi was quite pleased with himself.
But something strange started happening in the forest. People were beginning to realise that there was little point in asking questions when nobody bothered to answer them.”
Those who knew better were keeping quiet. Some were minding their own business. Others were silently finding ways to protect themselves and their little plots in the forest.
Meanwhile, the paths were becoming harder to travel, the places where animals gathered were falling into disrepair, and those who depended on the forest were finding life increasingly difficult.
The animals who understood what was going wrong could see that some things were falling apart. But what was the point of saying anything when nobody was listening?
Far from going away, the problems were getting worse. But so what? Brer Anansi couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about.
He was still in charge. His beloved people still supported him. He was living the good life…and to him this was paradise.
Everybody had stopped challenging him! He could do anything he wanted and not a dog barked.
No wonder Brer Anansi sat back, looked around his forest and smiled.
“Ha! This is all mine!”
And he laughed.
And laughed.
And laughed…
Reflect & Apply
When does looking strong become more important than being right? And how would you know if your credibility was already slipping away?
In Be the Person You Dream of Becoming, I wrote:
“What you can’t see about yourself is costing you more than you know.”
Having the power to get your way doesn’t mean you’re getting things right.
And when people stop questioning you, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve earned their confidence. Sometimes they’ve simply learned that questioning you changes nothing.
Worse, when people who recognise problems become unwilling or unable to speak up, those problems may remain uncorrected until the consequences become much more difficult to manage.
Are you building people’s confidence in your leadership—or simply becoming more confident that nobody can stop you?
Even as they watch. And wait.
If you are ready to examine the thinking behind your choices and the results they produce, Be the Person You Dream of Becoming is available on Amazon, at RIK Bookstores, or directly through me.
Keep becoming.
Monica Rogers-Fletcher
Listen to BRER ANANSI IN THE TWILIGHT ZONE