KOBRA AND EZRA

THE WRESTLER

 

What would you do if you were Kobra?

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Kobra is my great friend from middle school.  An industrious man who has always been a reliable friend.  A friend who lives by the mantra;

‘do whatever it takes until the job gets done’.    

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No wonder Kobra has become extremely successful in everything he has laid his hands on. 

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Kobra  is a man to admire. 

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He is self-made, if that word was ever appropriate to describe anyone.  

 

Kobra has always been resourceful from the very beginning.

 

With his own hands, he built an incredible empire. 

Kobra’s abilities are legendary.

 

He is able to do the work of twenty men and women.  

By himself, he built his vast empire.  

An empire worth billions of dollars.

  

A man with Kobra’s acumen and abilities should naturally come across as aggressive and no-nonsense in his approach to life.

 

People of Kobra’s caliber should naturally send shock-waves through the spine of any woman or man who finds herself or himself in  his presence.

 

Any unfortunate mortal who crosses path with a stallion such as Kobra, should immediately lose the bones which support their feet.

 

The legs of such a man or woman should experience wobbles  as to mimic angel hair spaghetti when they find themselves in Kobra’s presence.

 

That is the expectation for any person who comes into contact with  Kobra, given his deity-like abilities.

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Expectation and reality however, are not mutually exclusive, neither are they Siamese twins.

 

In the case of Kobra, expectations regarding what would be normal behavior for a man of his stature were vastly off from the reality of Kobra’s demeanor and outlook on life.

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First and foremost, Kobra loved, and loved, and loved, when he loved someone.

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Simply put, Kobra loved to a fault.

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He was meek, humble, and never came across aggressively in his discourse with those he encountered.

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One day, while Kobra was in a shopping mall, he entered one of the stores to buy some merchandise, when he came across an unfortunate spectacle which made him freeze in disbelief.

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 A maintenance clerk was being yelled at and treated horribly by his boss.

 

The boss was so rude to the poor clerk, the spectacle made Kobra nearly step in to let the boss know how wrong he was.

 

Instead of stepping in the situation and let the evil boss ‘have it’ for his horrendous behavior, Kobra had a better idea. 

 

Not surprising for the ever forward-thinking maverick.

Kobra waited patiently until the boss walked off from the visibly shaken clerk whose name was Ezra.

  

With the boss back in his office, Kobra walked quietly to the maintenance clerk and offered to hire him as his personal assistant.

 

Kobra offered Ezra ten times more in compensation than what he was making as a maintenance clerk for an obviously unappreciative boss.

  

Not only was Ezra going to be well compensated by Kobra, he was also going to be given free accommodation inside Kobra’s vast and sprawling estate.

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All Ezra, who was now promoted to personal assistant had to do was to fully represent Kobra’s interests in all of Kobra’s affairs.

 

Ezra’s job was to ensure all guests who came into Kobra’s  estate, fully understood the intent and mission behind Kobra’s actions.

 

Kobra wanted to ensure there was no ambiguity regarding the intent of his actions, by those who came across the work of his hands.

 

He wanted Ezra to be the man who cleared any confusion in the minds of those who came in contact with his work.

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Kobra took his new personal assistant through an intensive training, in which Kobra explained the importance of congruence between A PERSON, THE PERSON’S ACTIONS, AND THE INTENT OF THE PERSON.

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Kobra explained to Ezra an important concept.

  

The concept Kobra explained was: 

Every PERSON is made up of  INTENT as well as  ACTIONS.

 

Kobra used a simple analogy to explain this important matter to Ezra.

Kobra used the judicial system to enlighten Ezra on the subject.   He explained to Ezra what takes place in a courtroom when a man or woman stands accused of wrongdoing.

  

The  MAN (THE PERSON) stands trial along with TWO other PERSONS:

The other TWO PERSONS who stand trial along with the MAN are:

1. INTENT

2. ACTIONS

INTENT is treated as a man unto himself and so INTENT stands trial

ACTION which is the actual commission of the crime or wrong doing, stands trial as well.

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The outcome of the trial, Kobra explained to Ezra, is predicated on what each of the THREE PERSONS contributed towards the commission of the crime or wrong doing.

 

Before any judge  passes out sentencing, the judge takes a good look at all THREE PERSONS standing trial. 

 

Based on what each of the THREE  did, the judge might be lenient or severe in dispensing justice.

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The training Kobra provided Ezra, was intense.  

It was a comprehensive training.

Ezra seemed to get it.

 

He seemed to understand everything Kobra  was teaching him.

Until Kobra traveled out of the country for three months.

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One week after Kobra left town, he sent a letter to Ezra regarding some projects which needed to be completed.

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When Ezra received the letter from Kobra, he  immediately shredded it.

  

Ezra shredded the letter, and told himself the letter was not Kobra.  

Ezra told his friends and other employees working in Kobra’s estate, he would honor no letter or word which came from Kobra while he was out of town.

 

Ezra convinced himself his approach was right.

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One of the young girls who work in Kobra’s estate and who was privy to the training Kobra gave Ezra prior to traveling away for three months, tried to reason with Ezra.  The young girl, after observing Ezra’s behavior approached him. 

“Ezra,” the girl began to speak.

“What are you doing?  Do you not understand the letter from Kobra is the same as Kobra?   Did our boss Kobra not take you through a comprehensive training in which he explained to you the concept of a Man, Intent, and Actions, in which he cogently taught you all three were one and the same?   If the man is not physically present, but yet sends you his Intent of Action, why do  you not honor what he sends you the same way you claim to honor the man himself?  Do you not understand they are equal to the man, for they spring forth from the man himself?  Do you not understand Ezra, that by shredding the letters Kobra sends you, what you are doing is shredding Kobra himself?”

 

 

Ezra replied the young girl.

“I care not what you say.   Did I stutter when I said, ‘I will only honor what I am told by Kobra when he is physically here in the estate?’ Look here young girl,   I will continue to shred any letter he sends.  I honor no Intent or Letters.  I only honor Kobra.   The training he gave me regarding a MAN, INTENT, and ACTIONS, are nonsense to me.   I respect only the MAN.  To hell with INTENT and ACTION.”

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Ezra continued:

            Listen to me young blood, before I started working as a maintenance clerk in the mall where I met Kobra, I was a wrestler.

 

I wrestle everything.

  

I will wrestle as long as I live with Kobra’s crazy concept of THREE PERSONS made up of  MAN, INTENT, and ACTIONS being one and the same person.

For lack of a better word, I call that idea BULL!!

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 I do not care that our legal system agrees with Kobra’s stupid concept.

  

I ony know one Kobra, and Kobra alone. Finito!

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To hell with Intent and Actions.  I will continue to shred any letters from the man until the day he himself shows up. Then I will listen to him.  Ezra concluded.

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Word got back to Kobra regarding what Ezra was doing.

Kobra was distraught and beside himself with agony regarding Ezra’s behavior.

 

“All that training?  Everything I did for you?  And this is how you repay me?”  Kobra kept asking himself.

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I received a phone call from Kobra, just before he returned back to his estate.  

He told me the situation with Ezra.

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“What should I do with Ezra when I return?”  Kobra enquired of me.

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“I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD DO IF I WERE YOU KOBRA!”  I screamed over the phone.

 

“However, I will not tell you what to do, for you are an extremely intelligent and smart man,” I continued.

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“The only thing I see getting in the way of you doing what needs to be done with Ezra is LOVE. 

KOBRA, YOU LOVE TOO MUCH. 

WHEN YOU LOVE SOMEONE, YOU LOVE, AND LOVE, AND LOVE, AND LOVE, AND LOVE…….”

I concluded.

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"may our path be lit always; and may order replace the chaos"

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