Law of Success (21st Century Edition)

INTRODUCTION TO THE MASTER MIND 91

After the Second World War, The League of Nations was superceded by

the creation of the United Nations, of which America was one of the founding

nations. Unfortunately, the UN has not often lived up to Hill's conception of

a Master Mind, which requires that the participants come together in perfect

harmony

The time when such unity of minds will take place will be measured
largely by the time required for the great universities and nonsectarian
institutions of learning to supplant ignorance and superstition with
understanding and wisdom. This time is rapidly approaching.

COMMENTARY

Failure to develop a Master Mind can create enormous, embarrassing fiascoes. The

Metropolitan Transit Authority of New York owned a valuable piece of property on

Columbus Circle, one of the city's busiest intersections. The old Coliseum there had

been made obsolete by a new Convention Center, so the Transit Authority decided

to sell the land to a developer for a new building. Several companies bid, and a

winner was selected. When the design for the building was unveiled, however, there

was enormous public outcry, for the building was so large that its shadow would lie

over vast stretches of Central Park.

So the developers paid for a new building deSign, but it, too, was greeted with

public dismay, for it made only a token effort to address the many objections. Citizen

groups circulated petitions and threatened lawsuits. Wealthy individuals who lived

in the neighborhood protested just as loudly as did people on the street, because all

felt that the park was threatened. The Transit Authority, the developer, even the city

government tried to make the building happen, but at every turn they were stymied

by people who were outraged.

Finally, the developer gave up. Hundreds of millions of dollars had been spent

on the project, the Transit Authority lost its sale, construction jobs were lost, and

the Coliseum sat empty and unused for a decade. All this because the leaders of the

project failed to create harmony among the people of the city.