They didn’t extort, but they did ask to essentially look the other way and in turn they will handle any hostilities of other groups.
Maybe not clear as daylight extortion. But I imagine it’s a precarious position nonetheless? Had your father not been as “easy going”, he could be the problem they’d take out?
Yeah, definitely. He understood well that it was an ecosystem of its own. It was all “business” which I think is why he was very well respected by these people, the workers of the industry, and politicians. The job was to ensure goods flowed in and out so a few million people had food in their cities and towns, and he did that job very well. If he didn’t, his career would be over by whoever deemed it.
He told me once, to paraphrase, “It’s all chaos and mayhem until you realise it’s a school of fish. You just swim with them and it’s all good. Do it properly and you can steer all the fish in the right direction so everyone stays safe.”
Maybe not clear as daylight extortion. But I imagine it’s a precarious position nonetheless? Had your father not been as “easy going”, he could be the problem they’d take out?
Yeah, definitely. He understood well that it was an ecosystem of its own. It was all “business” which I think is why he was very well respected by these people, the workers of the industry, and politicians. The job was to ensure goods flowed in and out so a few million people had food in their cities and towns, and he did that job very well. If he didn’t, his career would be over by whoever deemed it.
He told me once, to paraphrase, “It’s all chaos and mayhem until you realise it’s a school of fish. You just swim with them and it’s all good. Do it properly and you can steer all the fish in the right direction so everyone stays safe.”