Feast of Stephen - Rainy Day Woman #12 and #35

Remember the song, “Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen?” Remember the song, "Rainy Day Woman #12 and #35?"

They're both about stoning . . . so to speak.

Today, December 26 is the feast of Stephen, the first martyr, who was stoned to death in the first century. In his Feast of St. Stephen sermon, Fr. Gilmary Tallman spoke about two reasons why stoning, although illegal under Roman law, was used.

The first was stoning was a graphic and very painful form of death; it sent a clear message to others you shouldn’t do what the person who was being stoned had done. Secondly, stoning was a group activity, so no one individual had any personal responsibility for carrying out the stoning.

When you put it that way, it makes stoning sound like many (most) modern business meetings:

• We convene with a group think mentality

• Perhaps one bold person offers an original idea

• The group kills the idea (and potentially the person) en masse through its invective and takes great satisfaction knowing any future upstarts with bold ideas will keep quiet to avoid a similar fate.

One thing Brainzooming is about is helping you get new ideas introduced and implemented without your group even realizing it so your next team meeting doesn't turn into a corporate version of the Feast of Stephen.

Here’s to more creative Brainzooming subterfuge in the new year! - Mike Brown