Yesterday, I received a comment on one of my videos from an old friend.
You still rule! 🤟
It got me thinking.
Am I rule?
I didn’t spend long thinking about the answer itself. This is what I wrote:
Your comment touched me. It gave me food for thought. I wouldn’t be honest if I said I’d never felt like a king. But I’ve come to realize—and I’m grateful to you for this, as your comment led me to this insight—that whenever I felt like a king, it was always because of you, my friends. You saw—and still see—me that way, and that is why I am lucky enough to experience this uplifting feeling. Thank you, my friend!
Why might that be?
If I’m not mistaken, the explanation might be something like this.
A king rules. If I were the king, it wouldn’t mean I was better or superior to everyone else.
I’ve always found the very idea of ruling systems off-putting. I never understood why we regard someone as a ruler simply because they were born into that position. (It’s fascinating—I was actually discussing this very topic with someone just a few days ago. And then—lo and behold!—here the subject is again, playing out in real life. Thank you, my friend Synchronicity!) I don’t want to unpack this topic right now (or ever, really!). Naturally, someone born to be a king lives a different life than I do—due to upbringing, education, and so on. Yet the question remains: why *him*? But enough about that for now.
So—returning to the subject of this post—I am neither better nor superior.
If others perceive me as a “king,” it’s likely due to my presence. It’s not just that they’d say, “You’re good at something,” but rather that my presence carries weight. I don’t necessarily dominate a group through sheer force of will. I like to think that when I’m there, things happen. I have energy. I have presence. I leave an impression on others. Somehow, the moment itself seems to fall into place a little better when I’m around.
It raises the question: what makes us feel that someone is good to be around? It isn’t necessarily that they are louder, more successful, or more interesting than everyone else. Rather, it stems from the fact that, in some way, I am present more fully.
I dare to hope that when my friend spoke so highly of me, he was thinking: “I still recognize in you that person whose presence is a good thing.”
If that was his thought, I certainly won’t object.
I’ve received similar feedback from several people over the past year. If this is the truth, then this aspect of my life hasn’t changed.
That’s a good thing for me!
Because there are some things that simply don’t need to change—neither within me nor around me. I might be wrong! But I believe that my presence is, in essence, who I am. I am responsible for it, and perhaps this is the one area of my life where I truly have a great deal of influence.
And one more thing!
In this realm of life, the more such people gather in one place, the more brilliant the party becomes. A truly present person joyfully welcomes another who is also present.
And it doesn’t matter at all who the king is…
Postscript
The AI drew my attention to something interesting.
Almost exactly 13 months ago, I wrote a post titled “Missing post: The final practical steps.”
It contains two sentences: “I certainly won’t be a king on my journey. But I can still be brave.”
Now I find myself reflecting on the fact that there isn’t really such a huge contradiction between the “I won’t be a king” I wrote back then and the “I won’t object” I’ve expressed now.
I have further thoughts on this. But finding the answer is no longer up to me!
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