The Importance of Endurance - The Fate of the Chairman Who Struggles Everyday Alone

The story of King David is written in the Old Testament. One day, King David’s own son Absalom rebelled against him, and the nation divided into two and war broke out. When the time for battle came, King David who was the commander of the entire army, naturally exclaimed, “I will go to battle with you!” But his closest aides said to him, “You must not go into battle,” and they added, “the king is equal to 10,000 of us. It is better for you to stay in the city and help us from there for now,” as this was the reason that was recorded. After hearing these words, King David watched on from the side castle gate as his army departed from the castle.

It is unheard of for a king to be the first to go into battle. It would be as if President Biden was to go to the front lines of Bakhmut, Ukraine in this day and age. Thus, it sounds like a very obvious story. The important point is that King David’s people cared enough about the king to advise him to leave the fighting to them. Am I the only one who envies him for that?

A few years after I founded Sound House, sales increased and business expanded quite rapidly. As a result, every day was like riding a flaming chariot, and work continued until after midnight every day. There were days when I was so exhausted that I could hardly keep my eyes open, but I can still recall the days when I persevered under this ironclad rule that whatever needed to be done had to be done immediately.

There was one day when someone who worked for me suddenly said to me, “Rick, please leave at 4 o’clock. We’ll take it from here!” For a moment, I was happy, but then I was at a loss for words because it was just an unrealistic offer. I wanted to go home, but the reality was that even if I wanted to go home, I couldn’t! The result was no different. I could not go home earlier, nor did my workers leave the office late. However, I was grateful for their feelings. As with everything, it was the feeling that counted.

Have those dreamlike days come to an end? Now, whether I, the founder and chairman of this large company, am spending long hours cleaning out the gutters, climbing up into the attic and scooping out sludge with my bare hands, cleaning out garbage in the warehouse for several days, proofreading the staff’s poor writing over and over again, or traveling far and wide to consult with the staff, no staff member would say to me, “Please take a break, I’ll take it from here.” I think everyone just thinks that I’m just a hard worker who just does as he pleases and ganbarus through everyday. The reality is that no matter how much I do, I never hear a word of thanks.

What is worse, perhaps more and more people have become accustomed to having others do things for them, or perhaps it is because they have spent so many years in a world where having their parents do everything for them was the norm for them, but there is no end to the number of staff members who, instead of saying thank you, they only ask for more whenever I help them. After giving advice or setting an example, it would be normal for them to think, “I’ll take this advice to heart and handle a situation on my own from now on.” However, this is not the case today. Young people are too pampered in our society, and I feel that more and more people are naturally assuming that they can get more done, not just one thing. This is troubling. I feel so afraid to even say anything to these people.

I feel this is my destiny as the company’s current chairman. The more I get involved, the more work I have to do, and in the end, the more I have to lose. This is just so painful. But it is also true that if I don’t lose something, no one gains anything. In the end, the chairman’s job may come down to enduring the fact that I will always have to lose something in order for the staff to gain from it. I just have to endure the unendurable and suffer the insufferable. If I ever master this maxim, my life might be a little more enjoyable. These days, I feel that the hurdle is getting higher and higher to jump over.