Ep. 32: The fragility of kingdoms and companies

I met a traveller from an antique land Who said: “Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed: And on the pedestal these words appear: ‘My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!’ Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”

This is the poem Ozymandias by the great Percy Bysshe Shelley.

In this episode of Tales Under the Cat Tree, I want to explore the human egos that build our cities, kingdoms, and companies. I read “Ozymandias” when I was eleven years old. The image of the broken civilizations that thought themselves eternal and invincible has stuck with me ever since. We humans think our worlds can never die, that our present continues to the future with ever-increasing greatness, and that we, as individuals, are fully in control.

The reality is far different. So first, I will share an original short story that was inspired by “Ozymandias” called “Look Upon Our Works and Despair,” followed by a piece on “How to Become the Company MVP.” You might ask: is there really a connection between all these? Well, I will leave you to ponder that thought.

This episode was again done while on the go. This time from St. John’s, Newfoundland. Thank you to Marc and Angie for putting up with my shenanigans.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit tales.dups.ca