Black Ice: Clearly Dangerous

I took my kids to the school playground yesterday, as I tend to do on Sundays when school is closed. We slid on the hill, did some swinging, and then started chasing an old ball around the basketball court. My kids are quite young and not too stable. Since we haven't had much snow yet, the court was pretty clean, except for this sections of black ice. My kids were constantly slipping on them.

Anyone who lives in a nordic state or province knows about black ice. It's known as being especially dangerous since it is the most slippery kind of ice on the road... and you can't see it coming.

Now this news flash may upset some, so sit down and brace yourself. THERE IS ACTUALLY NO SUCH THING AS BLACK ICE... unless your talking about frozen mud.

the "Black Ice" that most people have in mind is actually clear ice. The only reason it's black is because the pavement underneath is black. When I go to the skating rink. The ice there looks white, with the exception of several blue and red lines. It's actually the same kind of ice as what's on the road, except the cement under this ice is basically white, with some red and blue lines drawn on it.

Now that I've insulted your intelligence, here comes my point.

Many people, are just like this kind of ice. It isn't that they're particularly good people, or particularly bad people. Basically they are simply a window into their surroundings. You place them in an atmosphere that encourages moral behavior, and they act moral. You place them in an atmosphere that encourages immoral behavior, and they follow the crowd.

Many people in business know about the 20-80 phenomena. This applies here. I would say that probably about %20 of people have real moral color of their own. They either are truly corrupt and cause those around them to act corrupt, or they are truly moral, and cause those around them to be moral. %80 of people are morally clear. They go with the crowd, their environment.

Which are you? Are you one of the %20 people who have a strong moral influence on others either for good or bad? Or are you one of the %80 who blend in?

The lesson of black/white ice, is that things are not always as they seem. People are not always what they seem. We shouldn't assume that just because a person acts a good, that they truly are morally upright. They may just be following the crowd. That applies to us as well.

Think about it. History repeatedly demonstrates the power that a few individuals can have on a society, either for good or evil. This is a hugely empowering truth. Look at the difference Hitler made in Germany. A few good people, dedicated to the uplifting of others can have just as powerful an effect. Don't be clear. Have color of your own...and make it a good color.