The village had always done well to sustain itself with the rich resources that the region around it provided. Over many generations, the villagers had established a societal system of village workers and leadership that promoted opportunity for villagers of all levels of strength, intellect and opinion.
Over time, word spread to other areas that did not have the rich resources that the village provided, and more people came. All that was asked was that they work to support the ideals in place. The village grew and prospered as a larger numbers of workers tended to the rich resources that the region provided. Smart villagers developed new methods for tending to the rich resources, implementing and inventing ways for the village to prosper even more. Everyone was happy, and the village was teeming with workers of all kinds, and all levels, happy to provide to making the village a better place.
Then one day the wind started blowing. The clouds darkened and the sky erupted with a storm like no one had ever seen. Villagers huddled in their homes as the storm whipped about outside. The winds crashed and howled, the rain teemed. Unsure of what to behold of the storm, the villagers remained steadfast in their belief that this would pass. Their leaders stood tall, calming the villagers in their pronouncements that this storm would pass and everyone would be safe. Raging through the night and into the early hours of the morning, the storm ravaged the region before passing.
In the morning, the leaders gathered on the outskirts of the village, looking over the damage that had been caused by the storm. As they stood, the villagers began to gather near them, assessing the damage as well.
“We are all safe, we made it through the night,” proclaimed the village leader.
“Yes, that is good, but look at what this storm has done to our village,” said one of the villagers. “Our resources have been damaged with flood and destruction. The valley which gives us our best resources is covered in water and all that remains is now on the other side of a round moat of a lake that surrounds us.”
“In time, the waters will dry up. Our resources will return. I promise you that,” said the leader. “Go home and spend time with your family and prepare to go back to work. Our village will be fine. We have enough resources to survive”
“We believe you”, said the villager. “You have never lied to us, and we will do as you say”
After a couple of days it became apparent to a growing group of leaders that the lake that surrounded them like a band was not going away. The earth had changed and left them on an island. The leaders ordered the villagers to start building boats from the resources that they had left. The villagers were confused. They were using up their last resources and many became worried that the leaders had lied to them.
With boats carrying the village workers to the other side, the village was able to provide resources back and forth for only a portion of the village. The waters were difficult to navigate and deliver the resources in time to a village teeming with hungry families. The abundant quality of life in the village had been reduced and the villagers became angry.
Many villagers decided that it was not worth staying in the village and packed up their families and their belongings and boarded the boats, over the lake to the other side. They were tired of not having access to the resources that were in great supply on the other side of the water. Families were suffering. Older villagers were not afforded the care that they needed. Family leaders felt helpless and had no choice. Without warning, they began lining up, family by family to board the boats and not return.
The leader stood at the dock leading off the village that now had become isolated and pleaded, “Do not go! We can keep our village thriving if we find a way to reach the resources that are not on this island in a faster way.”
One of the villagers that was boarding a boat with his family proclaimed, “But how is that leader? You promised us that the lake would dry up and that did not happen. You promised us that we would be sustained by the resources brought to us by boat, and that did not happen. What should we do, build a bridge?”
With that, the multitude of villagers waiting in line to board the few boats leading off of the island chuckled, howled and hooted at the leader. The villager added, “You don’t have the stomach for such a task anyway, as its use would outlast your leadership! You will be one of us, wallowing in your misery before it can be completed because we will expel you for someone else with a better idea. On top of that, we don’t have the resources to construct such a thing, and most of the able craftspeople have already fled to the other side.”
The village leader stood for a moment, looking over the family villagers that waited, with their ruddy faces, threadbare clothing and crying hungry children. He thought to himself that this preposterous idea, proposed by a villager might just be the only choice that the village had to survive, but how? The other leaders gathered with great concern on their faces.
“We cannot impose the will of our people and the last resources that we have left to construct a bridge. We are not even sure that it is possible in the first place,” chimed one leader.
“Our people, my family included, are suffering. Wouldn’t it be better for all of us to abandon this island and make our lives on the other side, where the resources are bountiful? We could leave this desolate place forever and start anew,” added another leader.
“You would be a fool to ask your people to support such a thing,” said another. “You have been put in a position of leadership to take care of these villagers, not impose great pain and suffering further upon what they already have. They depend on you, and you are asking too much.”
The last leader approached, and whispered simply, “They will never re-elect you. There is no way around it. You will be exiled and left on this island when everyone else is gone.”
Away from the crowd of villagers, the leader gathered the others in charge of caring for each portion of the village. In a distance, more and more villagers boarded the boats to leave, while the ones not willing yet to concede to the challenges that confronted them continued to toil.
The leader stood still for a moment and look over the others. He looked up and down the panorama of a village that was once ripe with happy families, and now lay in disrepair if something was not done immediately.
“We must build a bridge,” he said. “I will tell you why, and some of you will find what I say to be too much for you to handle. Some of you will think that I am crazy, but needless to say, those of you that don’t, stand with me and help me convince those that are left that this is the right, just, and only thing left for us to do.”
Several of the other leaders walked out, scoffing and laughing at the suggestion that a bridge could be constructed to save the village. “So be it,” said the leader, “God speed and good luck to you.”
With that, the leader turned to the ones remaining, steadied himself and told them what they were going to do. “We are going to use every last resource on this island that was once a village surrounded by bountiful things to build a bridge to the other side of the lake that is around us. We are going to rely on the human strength and will of the people that remain to finish this project. Some will leave, some may stay and starve in the creation of this bridge to the other side, but we are going to get it done. I will risk my leadership, and I ask you to do the same. This will cost all of us dearly, but when the bridge is completed, we will once again be able to provide the sustenance to our people that they depend upon.”
“And,” he said. “And what?” responded one of the other leaders.
“We are going to do this without the will of the people behind us,” the leader stated. “There are times when we need to realize why we have been put into this place that we stand as leaders. There are times that we need to act. Many have fled already. Many remain out of loyalty to our village. Some remain to see us fail, and it is our duty to act. If we have any chance of making this village great again, we have to act as leaders for our people and act now!”
The resounding sound of the leader’s voice carried throughout what was left of the village. “We must build this bridge, and build it now!” he said, echoing over the treetops toward the lake that now surrounded them.
“We stand here watching our people suffer, having to depend on slow boats that deliver inadequate goods that we do not produce to sustain us. We stand here watching our families leave by the hundreds, clamoring to reach a place they can call home again. That place is here, and we cannot let them down. The bridge is the only way, but it will cost us all very dearly.”
Several more leaders departed without saying a word. Several stood in denial. Several stood in dispute of the leader’s comments. “Are you crazy? There is not way this can be done. My people have suffered enough. There are no jobs for them, and they are reduced to waiting for handouts. How can this make matters any better?” one of the other leaders cried.
“This will give them a job; this will give them a task to look forward to completing for their own benefit. This bridge will provide a beginning to building this village to what we all remember it to be, not long ago when things were good and hard work was rewarded with prosperity.”
“How can you ask us to support this, when we have such little left?” said another leader.
“Because it is our only choice,” said the leader, “We have nothing left. Stand with me now or leave forever.”
Of the village leaders left, several stood to the side, huddled in hushed discussion. After a few moments, one of the leaders from the group spoke to the others, “We cannot continue to wallow in the misery that has been set upon us by factors that our citizens cannot control. We cannot continue to extol the virtues of hard work, when there is no work to be had. We cannot walk through or village streets without seeing the despair. Our own futures as leaders of this village have neither merit nor meaning if we stand aside and watch this village die.” We stand with you and are ready to pronounce to the citizens that remain that we will all work to build a bridge.”
I don’t claim to be any more of an expert on topics that refer to the state of the industry than anyone else. Most of the time, I draw any conclusions from three areas: research, what other experts are saying, and from my own experiences as a bellman, hotel sales manager, and as a CVB sales director. So far (I’m dating myself) I’ve come through what I consider three major declines in the hospitality industry (1991-92, 2001-2003 and 2009).
