Maverick: A maverick is an animal, usually a form of cattle, that does not carry a brand. It is a word also used to describe a person who acts free from constraints or organizational guidelines. A mustang is by definition a maverick horse. [My friend, Peter, is by definition a maverick human being.]
I have one maverick friend, and it's the most unique friendship I have / have had up to this point in my life. This friendship is marred with frustration (on both sides). From Rob's point of view, it's frustration that's aimed at Peter's unwillingness to yield to much of any authority. From Peter's point of view, it's my willingness to behave in an opposing manner (effectively creating a relational short circuit).
I've known Peter for +/-15 years. There was a serious, longstanding cooling off period, relative to our friendship, that began around year three / four, but then, unexpectedly, he gradually came back into my life in an arguably even bigger way. Since he and I had last communicated (taking the +/-7-year hiatus into consideration), I'd long since dived headlong into Samson Society by committing to both local Jackson, Mississippi groups combined with the National Retreats. Hence, at this point of platonic reconnection with Peter, I encouraged him too to jump in (initially by personally inviting him to attend the 2018 National Retreat). Logistically, he was unable to do this at that point in time, but when November 2019 came around, he was there undeterred. And as you might imagine, it was a tense period in our friendship for both of us, having not engaged with each other for so very long. Especially considering the implosive circumstances we'd left off with, seven years prior.
Immediately prior to our aforementioned "cooling off" period setting sail (resulting in a cut of all communication efforts), Peter dubbed himself a "maverick" within a long-winded explanatory / commentary email he sent me. And that moniker he self-identified with has perfectly suited him ever since.
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Peter's life has been a "soap opera" (his excusatory words). As such, throughout the early / initial years of time as his friend, he & I both agreed that he'd given himself an awful lot of leeway relative to meeting others' expectations. Combine that with him being, by nature, an uber-loner. Hence, time spent alone is his thing; an awful lot of which (again, during our pre-hiatus years) was burned up via entertaining himself (porn, video games, college sports commentary, and on and on).
Until...
he'd find that the clock had run out prior to it being time to execute (make a presentation, mow a lawn, write a paper, take an exam, etc.)
From there, he'd pull whatever was demanded of him directly out of his ass (little to no prep). And overall, he was quite adept at this technique, but as you might imagine, it no doubt came across as qualitatively mediocre regarding most everything on his resume.
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What I love about this guy is his unerring belief in himself. I used to imagine him looking at himself naked in the full-length bathroom mirror and exclaiming, "Damn, I'm awesome!", each and every time. No matter how many disappointing grade cards Peter's been given, he simply subjugates them / chalks them up subconsciously to his "maverickness" shining through. As such, he's constantly on the move relationally. Therefore, for me to (again) be as close to him as I am today, in many ways is a surreal experience.
And all of this leads me up to yesterday (I dialogue / pray with Peter once a week over the phone).
He's now decided to raise his middle finger at Samson Society. In particular, Samson's decisionmakers for refusing to respond to his immediate wishes. And this wasn't a surprising turn of events for me to observe once it sank into my psyche. For it's precisely in line with how Peter has always operated / continues to operate as a maverick.
I realize there're a handful of Steve Jobs / Elon Musks out there who fall into the category of maverick. But these men are of extraordinary intelligence / creativity / drive. None of these descriptors are appropriate for Peter. He's as average a bear as I am.
Honestly, I don't know how to feel about all of this. For I care about Peter, but I also believe wholeheartedly in Samson Society. I know being critical of his newfound position will only fall on deaf ears. For it's directly in line with his modus operandi as a maverick.
Here I am again, with this old friend, feeling truly powerless. For now, as he's done so many times before, he's set sail from a community that benefits tremendously from his commitment therein. Forever again, thinking exclusively of himself and his identity as a maverick.
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