Ain’t Too Proud to Beg

Ain’t Too Proud to Beg

            Pride, arrogance, hubris, self-importance, pomposity is all one and the same. Pride is the top of the Seven Deadly Sins List followed by greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth. As we all know that pride “goeth before the fall”, the question becomes what do we do to avoid the pitfalls of pride?

            Tonight, Kim and I went with Matthew and Philip to see Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, the Broadway show that tells the story of The Temptations.  My evening began by getting to the Japanese Barbecue Restaurant a bit before everyone else. It was a rainy evening so scuttling around Times Square dodging eye-jabbing umbrellas, is a tiring affair.  When I was told that I could not be seated until our full party arrived, I was not happy.  The bar was overcrowded, and I don’t like sitting at the bar since I don’t drink.  I have no problem begging the hostess and then the manager for the pleasure of getting seated at my ready and waiting table. It was 5pm, not 7pm. When that didn’t work, I was equally not too proud to just sit down at an empty table in an empty section, contrary to their wishes, and demand more customer accommodation than they seemed prepared to offer.  They let me sit there with no service, ostensibly ignoring me. Eventually Kim came and I got her to intercede and make excuses for her unreasonable husband so that they would seat us properly.  I have no shame about such maneuvers, since my antinomian ways give me the moral freedom to disobey rules in which I find no meaningful basis, especially at an establishment that presumably wants my commerce.

            With Japanese Wagyu beef and garlic rice in my belly and generally feeling more kindly towards the world, we braved the rain and general dampness to get to the theater.  It was, as usual, an older Broadway theater with seats made for 1920-era American bodies.  We had good orchestra seats on the aisle, with Matthew and Philip having similar seats across the theater from us.  By my best estimate, I would last 20 minutes in that seat before my leg cramping would get the best of me.  I stopped the usher and asked her if I would be allowed to stand in the back if I needed.  I ain’t too proud to beg, but she immediately said she would elevate the issue to her floor manager.  When the manager arrived, she said she could give us box seats in the left mezzanine.  They were roomy separate chairs, but she warned that our view of stage right would be limited.  Off we went up a private little staircase, past velvet curtains into a regal wing box with four velvet chairs. I tried to give the woman $50, but she refused the tip, so I was not able to monetarily grovel.  I suddenly felt like Tsar Nicholas and we gave a royal wrist-twisting wave to our friends Matthew and Philip, still seated among the little people down below. Kim signaled that they should join us in our box since there were two more seats.  Then the lights dimmed, and the orchestra signaled the start of the show.

            At the intermission, while Kim went for refreshments, Matthew and Philip came up to the box.  Meanwhile a new Assistant Manager was seating other people in the box next to ours and came up to chase Matthew and Philip back to their seats, claiming that those seats were to be otherwise filled.  I tried to beg using friendship as my cause, but to no avail. Off they went back to orchestra.  Then two mothers with two daughters came into the box and tried to crowd into the back of the box.  I had no time to argue before the Assistant Manager was back saying no-go.  Naturally, the seats were left empty as we signaled Matthew and Philip to try again, but then the lights dimmed for act II.  With no begging or pleading, we were back in our comfortable box seats to watch the Temptations ride through the second half of their careers.

The Temptations’ Greatest Hits starts with I Can’t Get Next to You. Seemed a good one for Matthew and Philip. Papa was a Rolling Stone, Just My Imagination and My Girl were all mega hits. They passed on War and left it to Edwin Starr to sing the greatest protest song of all time. But the soulful songs in the hit parade are I wish it Would Rain and Ain’t Too Proud to Beg. That’s what makes this such a great story and a great show, life is filled with ups and downs and personalities. The nature of celebrity and success is that egos flair and people break up and think their contribution is greater than that of others. Pride always goes before the fall. But Otis Williams, the only original Temptation who has survived all these years and no less than twenty-three other Temptations along the way, seemed less subject to the demon pride. He was never too proud to beg and in so doing, he managed to keep the Temptations going to work with Berry Gordy to make it (and the Supremes) the greatest Rhythm and Blues group of all time. I like that message. For sustainable success and true greatness, pride needs to be parked by the side of the road and you can never be too proud to beg. Easy to say, easy to see in a great show, easy to advise others along the way, and very hard to live by when the fortunes smile on you and give you that illusive holy grail of success.

            The partnership I formed twenty years ago had moments of ego from several angles, but ultimately, we managed to keep it in check, and we all prospered when success found its way to our door.  With hindsight, we had all contributed enough along the way to justifiably say that the four-way partnership with equal shares was the best and most appropriate split we could have made.  The Temptations were also an even-split team and have been all along whether there were four or seven members.  That should tell us all that being ain’t too proud to beg is the best way to let failure go begging.