A pastor told me when I was younger that I did not have killer instinct.  On the most part, it’s probably true – there have been rare exceptions, I’m not even sure of this.  I wasn’t sure how to take it at the time.  I’ve reflected on this thought for some time and questioned whether this was a strength or weakness.

A colleague once told me I needed to be more like Kobe Bryant, with the Black Mamba mentality.  I wanted to laugh because he would somewhat take credit for my work.  Aside from that, I don’t really feel this approach is all that worth it or even that effective in the long run.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m also not the Kumbaya let’s all work together type.  For me, it’s Lee Kuan Yew all the way – do your job really well.  Use person, don’t distrust.  Distrust person, don’t use.

At the end of the day, I think the verse “Blessed are the merciful for they shall receive mercy” rings true.  I taught students the story of David having the opportunity to kill King Saul, who was hunting him down.  David refuses, citing some Lord’s anointed reasoning.  I think it’s more practical than that – if his men had seen him execute a sleeping enemy, one day they would be tempted to do the same to him.

On a closing note, I’ve met killers of all kinds – the metaphorical and literal ones.  They look normal.  I also used to tell this story to my students – at the Nuremberg Trials, a witness broke down in tears when he saw the Nazi officer responsible for his imprisonment and suffering.  Reporters ask the witness whether he felt deep anger or sadness.  The witness replies, none of those, I cried because he looked just like me.