Read Online The Clout of Gen by Ahmad Ardalan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Ahmad Ardalan
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Upon completing those advanced studies, he returned to Japan. He was more mature, experienced, educated, and driven, and he promptly forced himself into the higher echelons of his father’s business.
Yaturo had no shame in going on and on about himself for more than two hours, but John was happy to listen intently. ”On May 18, 1967, my life changed forever,” Yaturo announced. “It was the grand opening of our steel factory, a factory I had convinced my father to start up. I outlined the benefits of it and showed him how profitable it would be in a short period of time, and he finally listened to me.”
“The steel factory was monumental for you?” John asked, trying to understand.
“Well, it wasn’t the factory that changed my life. Rather, it was what happened the day of its grand opening. The factory was crowded with reporters, guests, and governmental officials because it was the opening of the biggest steel factory in Asia. It was a landmark for Kyoto and for Japan in general. We had planned for the opening for weeks, and it was catered by the finest company in Kyoto. It was a truly amazing, extravagant event, and cameras were everywhere. I had never been so proud, but I had a feeling it was only the beginning of something much grander. The years that followed proved that to be true…far more than I could have imagined. Everything went perfectly as planned, and everyone was impressed with the tour of the factory facilities. The reporters and journalists flocked to the news conference, and everyone knew their role and played their part.
“While I was enjoying the moment, I was approached by a gentleman that—to this day—I wish I’d never met. He congratulated me, and we talked for a few minutes about the factory and the effect it would undoubtedly have on the economy in general. I could tell from his accent and his clothing and appearance that he was eastern European. He was tall, with an athletic build, in his early thirties. He had dark black hair and very glowing blue eyes. In fact, I couldn’t help but stare at his eyes because I had never seen such bright blue eyes before. He asked if we could talk somewhere alone and claimed he had something extremely important to tell me. Naïve as I was, I took him to my office on the upper floors of the factory while everyone else was busy mingling outdoors. Looking back, I should have been suspicious, because he was reluctant to say who he was, though he did tell me his identity wasn’t important.
“He seemed even stranger when he began to talk. He mentioned the importance of having the power to control events, to influence people to make the right choices for the betterment of mankind. He told me how good the world would be if the politicians really chose what would be best for the population and businessmen strived to improve the economy. He went on and on, and I was confused about the relevance of it all to me or the opening of our steel factory. I really didn’t understand what he was implying, what this control was that he talked about. I was convinced that I had wasted my time. I was angry at myself for deserting my guests to talk to a madman. Nevertheless, since I’d agreed to speak with him, I decided I would let him finish.
“The more he talked, though, the more uncomfortable I became. When he noticed how distracted and uncomfortable I was, he finally took an envelope out of his coat and told me to have a look at it. He said that if its contents convinced me of the truth of his words, I should meet him at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple three days later, at two p.m. He left the envelope on the desk and stood to leave. I politely took the envelope, folded it, and placed it in my suit pocket. I then showed him the way down and returned to the crowd and the festivities to enjoy the fruits of our success.
“I totally forgot about the envelope the next day, as it was a busy day, being the first official day of work at the
Yaturo had no shame in going on and on about himself for more than two hours, but John was happy to listen intently. ”On May 18, 1967, my life changed forever,” Yaturo announced. “It was the grand opening of our steel factory, a factory I had convinced my father to start up. I outlined the benefits of it and showed him how profitable it would be in a short period of time, and he finally listened to me.”
“The steel factory was monumental for you?” John asked, trying to understand.
“Well, it wasn’t the factory that changed my life. Rather, it was what happened the day of its grand opening. The factory was crowded with reporters, guests, and governmental officials because it was the opening of the biggest steel factory in Asia. It was a landmark for Kyoto and for Japan in general. We had planned for the opening for weeks, and it was catered by the finest company in Kyoto. It was a truly amazing, extravagant event, and cameras were everywhere. I had never been so proud, but I had a feeling it was only the beginning of something much grander. The years that followed proved that to be true…far more than I could have imagined. Everything went perfectly as planned, and everyone was impressed with the tour of the factory facilities. The reporters and journalists flocked to the news conference, and everyone knew their role and played their part.
“While I was enjoying the moment, I was approached by a gentleman that—to this day—I wish I’d never met. He congratulated me, and we talked for a few minutes about the factory and the effect it would undoubtedly have on the economy in general. I could tell from his accent and his clothing and appearance that he was eastern European. He was tall, with an athletic build, in his early thirties. He had dark black hair and very glowing blue eyes. In fact, I couldn’t help but stare at his eyes because I had never seen such bright blue eyes before. He asked if we could talk somewhere alone and claimed he had something extremely important to tell me. Naïve as I was, I took him to my office on the upper floors of the factory while everyone else was busy mingling outdoors. Looking back, I should have been suspicious, because he was reluctant to say who he was, though he did tell me his identity wasn’t important.
“He seemed even stranger when he began to talk. He mentioned the importance of having the power to control events, to influence people to make the right choices for the betterment of mankind. He told me how good the world would be if the politicians really chose what would be best for the population and businessmen strived to improve the economy. He went on and on, and I was confused about the relevance of it all to me or the opening of our steel factory. I really didn’t understand what he was implying, what this control was that he talked about. I was convinced that I had wasted my time. I was angry at myself for deserting my guests to talk to a madman. Nevertheless, since I’d agreed to speak with him, I decided I would let him finish.
“The more he talked, though, the more uncomfortable I became. When he noticed how distracted and uncomfortable I was, he finally took an envelope out of his coat and told me to have a look at it. He said that if its contents convinced me of the truth of his words, I should meet him at the Kiyomizu-dera Temple three days later, at two p.m. He left the envelope on the desk and stood to leave. I politely took the envelope, folded it, and placed it in my suit pocket. I then showed him the way down and returned to the crowd and the festivities to enjoy the fruits of our success.
“I totally forgot about the envelope the next day, as it was a busy day, being the first official day of work at the
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