At the Global Peace Leadership Conference on August 1st and 2nd, 2018, Dr. Robert Schuller of the Global Peace Leadership Council, spoke on the idea of “water” and “mountain” people. Do you know what a “water person” or a “mountain person” is? Find out what these types of people might mean for leadership in our world today.
DR ROBERT SCHULLER (Member of the Global Leadership Council):
Ladies and gentlemen, it is a pleasure for me to be able to be here today and to share a message with you. How many people here have ever heard of water people? Has anyone ever heard of “water people”? Do you have any idea what I am talking about? Some of you may be thinking of what “water people” are. You are thinking well, maybe “water people” are a little too hard on the water. It is not quite right.
Honestly, we are all made of primary water. Maybe everyone is a water person; it could be. Let me suggest this. “Water people” are those who act like water but how does water act? Water, if you pour it some place, will always take the path of least resistance. It will always continue to flow until it reaches the lowest place possible. It has no plans. It has no motivation. It has nothing except seeking the path of least resistance. That is “water people.” The good news I have for you today is that there is not a single “water person” here. There is not a single person who is here today because they have decided to take the path of least resistance.
The people that I am looking at today are quite the contrary. You are here today because you have a vision. You have a goal. You have an understanding of what you want for your family, for your community, for your country and for the world. That is to seek peace and joy and goodness and to make the space around you better.
You want to improve that which is part of your world and so you are here today, not seeking the path of least resistance. Instead, you are here today for dialogue – to discuss, think and plan. If we are going to do something and make a difference, the first thing we need to do is make a plan that is going to make a difference. The last thing you want to do is spin your wheels doing something that is not productive.
I heard a Ugandan proverb. Tell me if you have heard this one before. “If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there.” (Laughter) Is that right? That is not what this is about. We are about making some plans; having a vision, creating a plan and then implementing that plan. We are not taking the path of least resistance in any way, shape or form. We are using our brains. We are using our minds. We are using our God-given ability to create a plan and then take the effort to implement that plan. It takes effort to avoid falling into the trap of being “water people.”
Water people simply take the path of least resistance. What we are doing here in this conference over the next two days finding the path that leads to victory. How many people want victory?
Thousands of leaders gather in Uganda for the 2018 Global Peace Leadership Conference.
Stand up right now if you like victory. Now that you are all standing, let us just give a round of applause to the Heavenly Father who brought us together. (Applause)
We are standing here today but sitting because “Water people” sit. We are leaders. As leaders, we have decided not to take the path of least resistance but to take the path that leads to success.
Therefore, we are standing here as one family under God. (Applause)
What is the direction that we are going to find? We may not have the answers now because the conference has just begun. God will reveal the answers to us through dialogue, discussions and plans. We will know them all; more innovative leadership that is required for us as an individual to have impact on our families, communities and the world. (Applause) Shake the hand of the person next to you right now and say, “God loves you and so do I.” That is the word we are going to use for the next two days. Thank you everybody and God loves you mightily. (Applause)
On August 2, Dr. Schuller addressed a group with some remarks contrasting “water people” with their opposites, “mountain people”:
DR SCHULLER:
Your Excellency, I would like to thank you for being what I call a mighty man. Yesterday morning, when I addressed this conference, I talked about the “water people” those who take the path of least resistance and always end up in the lowest place; those who face them out when faced with the mountains – you either find the way to turn around it or stand on that mountain. You overcome the challenges that are set before you and you accomplish your goals. Those are mountain people. Your Excellency, you are a mountain people. (Applause)
When faced with the mountains, your will do whatever it takes to succeed. Therefore, I would like to thank you, your Excellency for addressing the issues of peace, poverty and making a difference in your country. I congratulate and thank you. God bless you. (Applause)