[Disclaimer: Everything depicted in this story is fictional and solely the product of the artist/author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual events or people is purely coincidental.]
Background:
From his shadow's point of view, this story contains the poignant events from Raymond Kohl's life that made him what he is today, a self-made tech multi-billionaire.
Somewhat of a recluse now, Mr. Kohl's early public persona was that of a stoic, ruthless, robot-like businessman.
This story reveals the private, very much human side of Raymond H. Kohl.
"La Silhouette Se Souvient:
Building Pyramids "
Raymond just stood there and stared at his father's headstone.
Hating to admit it, in many ways, he'd "become" his father; inheriting the same genius level intellect, the same stubborn streak and the same ability to switch personas to match the current situation like a social ninja or multi-context chameleon.
Possessing those traits naturally while others struggled to acquire them gave Raymond and his late father an almost unfair advantage.
Unlike his cohort "fresh meat MBAs", he landed onto the tech business stage running at full speed.
He didn't need extensive technical training or years of servitude as an apprentice to compete with and surpass others from the traditional business and career path, aka "the pipeline".*
[*Although pipelines are industry, profession and rank/position specific, they're all built around these basic tasks and progressional order; that is, do enough time at the right places, check all the right blocks, run the necessary gauntlets, acquire sterling recommendations from OG legends and never stop adding significance to your impressive God-like resume!).
Raymond regarded the traditional pipeline and all the pompous, kiss-a$$ activities as utter nonsense; just a very expensive and totally unnecessary waste of time.
And all for what?
A piece of paper with a list of personal "Been There, Done That's"?
Yes, that paper may get a person past the front door ...
...and immediately placed in line with the other paper holders waiting for the next festive culling event.
Like his father, whenever Raymond lacked the knowledge or skills to get something done, he simply read a few books about it and taught himself.
Curses and Blessings -
Save for a few rare instances like death and pregnancy, nothing in life is a dichotomy, but a blending of opposing attributes; a yin/yang of elements.
While Raymond and his late father's innate abilities were great for business and career success, the opposite is true for personal relationships and family.
Similar to his career-obsessive late father, Raymond focused so much on his business that he didn't see that his marriage was crumbling around him.
By the time he was aware of it and tried to reconcile, it was "too little, too late."
He offered no resistance and gave the soon to be ex-wife whatever she wanted.
And at 48 years old, Raymond signed divorce papers - for the third time in his life.
The late Dr. Stephen Covey stated, “Nobody on their deathbed wishes they spent more time at the office.”
Raymond wished he'd read that "Wisdom Bomb" when he was a young man, but then admitted to himself that it probably would've made no difference; the outcome would be the same.
Recalling Mark Twain’s story of a person witnessing their own funeral, Raymond wondered what his funeral would look like.
He quietly asked the universe, "Would anyone show up?"
"Would anyone say some kind things about me?
"Or would the scene look more like something out of 'A Christmas Carol'?"
[The universe chose to remain silent.]
If we live long enough, we all go through the Four “L’s”: Live, Love, Learn and leave a Legacy. - Dr. S. Covey
We all need to first find the means to survive (Live), then seek personal connections (Love), gain some wisdom (Learn) and finally, strive to be remembered through our deeds, accomplishments and surviving family members (Leave a legacy).
Those thoughts were still lingering in his mind as Raymond kissed his fingertips, placed them on the headstone and bid farewell to his father.
"Bye, Pops. I'll visit again soon. I promise. But right now I got'ta split and do something important.
You see, I just realized that I'm a very rich man who is pathetically "Legacy Poor".
I haven't seen your grandchildren in ages. They're all grown up now.
If you're sensing an uptick in my mood, you're right. I haven't felt this excited for decades.
And if you're wondering why I'm cutting this visit short, let's just say, "it's high time I start building my own 'pyramids'.."
Epilogue:
Breaking News: Kohl Tech, Inc. CEO on Sabbatical, CFO cum Acting CEO has the Conn
"6:00 PM EST - Citing 'urgent personal matters', Raymond Kohl, CEO, Kohl Technologies, went on immediate, open-ended Sabbatical.
Untill further notice, Michael W. Hobbs, current CFO, will serve as Acting CEO, Kohl Technologies, Inc."
[One week later...]
Breaking News: "Kohl Technologies, Inc. continues to buck the trend, "
Mimicking its contrarian Founder/CEO and embarrassing the pundits, Khol Technologies, Inc. stock continues to soar.
A week earlier, after Raymond Kohl's surprise sabbatical announcement, nearly all analysts predicted Khol's stocks to plummet into a death spiral.
Kohl:s Rating went from "strong hold" or "medium buy" to "strong sell" on every major exchange.
Other experts joined in the FUD-fest and advised all major holders of Kohl stock (Whales) to liquidate and "buy as many short positions you can get your hands on!"
Less than 24 hours later, instead of taking a nose dive, Kohl stock rose by 4% and kept rising!
Now, a week later, Kohl is up 34% and climbing...
When asked why he bought instead of sold, one Whale said, "I scoured every piece of news, went over the financials with a magnifying glass and fine toothed comb and had drinks with other major investors.
No one could find any change in the fundamentals.
There were no natural disasters or political upheavals that could affect stability in Kohl's markets or op regions, etc.
The consensus was that it was 'Much Ado About Nothin' and decided to ignore the kohl bashing from the Chicken Little's.
As far as I'm concerned, "If an owner can go fishing and put the cashier in charge while he's gone, everything must be peachy at the store."
[Submitted for your entertainment.]
May you and yours be well and loving life today.
In Lak'ech, JaiChai
(JaiChai 05 Nov 2022. Simultaneous multi-site submissions posted. All rights reserved.)