Currying favor is an indispensable skill if one wants to climb a higher rung of status. Officials must win the trust of his superiors; businessmen need to pull strings to settle a deal; even teachers are no longer so priggish and pedantic as to disregard the opinions of those in power. I am bad at soliciting favors from others, but I have witnessed the artful performances of many men who have successfully amassed either a fortune or reached high-ranking positions.

   My former dean was in his thirties when I was an intern. To be frank I admired him for his erudition and his being a dean at such a young age. I have by conscientious endeavor made a good impression on him within a year. One day he invited me to accompany him to a feast where many VIPs would be present; I gladly accepted his invitation and felt grateful for his trust. The dinner was a success. At the end of the dinner, the waitress brought to each of us a small bowl of noodle, which most of us couldn’t eat as we were all full by then. The big boss was already drunk, blabbering, belching and hiccoughing intermittently, but he requested us to finish the noodle as waste of food is a crime. He tried to swallow some but apparently it was more than he could handle. At this juncture my dean took the half-finished bowl to himself, and finished it like nectar and ambrosia. It was really sickening to me and the scene still locked in my mind after several years. Needless to say the dean rose quickly and in his late thirties he became the head of a big hospital. Here I want to make it clear that his success attributes mainly to his enterprise and opportunity, currying favor playing only a minor part.

My cousin is a successful lawyer who carries with him an air of sophistication and humility. He initially worked in a large machinery company as an engineer, but unsatisfied with working in a noisy and obscure corner, he worked hard in his spare time and became a lawyer. He took pride in his attainments and got on quickly. Once I went to visit him after he was mildly hurt in a car accident. He was happy to see me and equally happy to listen to my opinions on his prognosis. After assuring him that nothing had gone amiss, he invited me to dinner. During dinner, he told me how he had succeeded in winning one case after another. One case particularly caught my attention. Once he had a very difficult case on his hands, which had been almost a torture for him. Whatever he tried, the hope of winning was slim. Several days before the trial, he managed to invite the chief judge and other key figures out to dinner. The dinner was a success as all the guests present expressed their appreciation of the delicate cuisine and the delicious wine, but the judge was still evasive in his answers. Emboldened by the wine, my cousin said that he could do whatever in his ability for the judge if only he promised to help win the case. The judge, apparently half drunk, jokingly said that he could do a favor if only my cousin agreed then to kowtow to him and call him “Daddy”. In an instant my cousin kneeled on his knees before the judge, with all the guests’ eyes upon him, kowtowed to him and uttered clearly the word “Daddy”. The judge was caught off-guard, and promptly agreed to fulfill his pledge. Sure enough my cousin won the case with flying colors. His way of winning favor is to temporarily ignore one’s dignity and bow to power. Fortunately he doesn’t need to do so in most of his cases, and I am certain that he has a lot of tricks to carry him over to victory.

Some people are much more intelligent in currying favor than my cousin: they resort to theatrics. When a high-ranking official was in hospital for a cold, visitors were jostling to pay their tributes, vying for notice and favor. One man particularly attracted my attention. Dressed in his suits, he and his followers sent a basketful of flowers to the patient, which seemingly was rather normal, but when he went out of the room, I noticed that his eyes were swollen and he was repeatedly blowing his nose. Obviously he had cried before the patient as a show of concern and solicitude. What a performance! Take notice my reader, this very man is now in high position, so when you ask him a favor, never cry before him as he could easily see you through.

We poor men sometimes have to sell our so-called dignity or our property in order to win a favor while our womenfolk may have to capitalize on their sexual charm. Surely the majority of us will manage to lead a good life without all those unpleasant things. Knowing this at least helps us to understand that those in high places got there in a very hard way, and in order to keep their position their sacrifice is much greater than assumed. Surely they have a much high income and enjoy a great deal more luxury than we poor wage earners.

   If you have any similar experience, you can share it with us. Maybe we can learn from those “masters”, as they are successful whatever they have resorted to.