In the 1975 horror/suspense
film Jaws, an unlikely trio of men
which include a drunk ship captain (Quint-played by Robert Shaw), an elected
local police chief who cannot swim ((Brody-played by Roy Scheider) , and a
smart-aleky young oceanographer (Hooper-played by Richard Dreyfus) prepare to go to sea in
search of a great white shark that has been terrorizing a seaside
community. As Hooper loads his gear onboard, Quint queries:Quint: What d'ya have there - a portable shower or a monkey cage?
Hooper: Anti-Shark cage.
Quint: Anti-shark cage. You go inside the cage?
[Hooper nods]
Quint: Cage goes in the water, you go in the water. Shark's in the water. Our shark.
Quint [singing]: Farewell and adieu toyou, fair Spanish ladies. Farewell and adieu, you ladies of Spain. For we'vereceived orders for to sail back to Boston. And so nevermore shall we see youagain.
I relay this scene in Jaws as metaphor to illustrate how we tend cage our own hearts in order to protect ourselves from the sharks of day-to-day life. Leaders can be (and often are) especially tempted to close off their compassion out of fear of being devoured in the sea of life.
As a leader, how are you caging your heart?
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