There is a tale of two heads of State meeting and attending a luncheon post-event. During the luncheon, the host head of State invited questions from others attending. At one point, a woman who stood up and was visibly inflamed angrily asked the host dignitary a question as to why the State had not yet taken significant action on a matter of concern to her. The head of State listened intently and then responded to the angry woman, ‘Marie, please remember Rule number six.’ The woman sat down calmly without fuss. A few questions later, a man stood up and protested loudly about decisions he believed negatively impacted him. Again, the head of State listened deliberately and then responded, ‘thank you, Joe; we understand your desire, but also please consider Rule number six.’ The flustered man promptly sat down.
The visiting politician was bewildered, and later on, his first opportunity to privately speak with the host, enquired, ‘that was amazing how you calmly diffuse situations, but I have to ask, what is Rule number six.’
The host responded, “Rule number six is simply, do not take yourself so seriously.’
