He found himself at the music stand. He carefully set his papers on it and looks out to the crowd. His glare was piercing almost of an animal close to strike. He looked out and saw no familiar faces and worse knew of no ones family history. He felt almost very distant from those he was around even though he was only several feet from them. 

Good evening. My name is Bishop. This is my first time here and I am nothing short of an inactive mobster. I have seen many faces over my years coming to know some of your fathers and grand fathers as well. The life you lead is one that will surely be disastrous, but you know that. I myself have been brought back into this world but trust me when i say it was finally time i entered into this life. Today, i would like to speak with you about friendship. I believe it is the most powerful weapon a mobster could have. More powerful than money and more powerful than a gun. If you care, i would like to share my reasoning with you. Hopefully this will inspire some of you to live a more social life and develop a deeper more intimate sense of camaraderie in your own lives. 

In this world, we are offered but a short while. A short while to do something magnanimous. We are presented with choices over and over again that eventually lead us to the present moment but ultimately to our own demise. From the very first steps we take we are encouraged to sell illegal items or steal someones personal belongings. Immediately following that choices lead us to discern which family, which organization, we wish to align ourselves with. Most of these organizations seemingly hold very similar ideals. The desire for Loyalty almost always equates to the desire of being the most powerful criminal enterprise in the nation. Having a city full of marksman as well as earners often makes us feel protected and as though we are progressing. 

I am of the mind that the greatest weapon this life offers is the weapon of friendship. It is not the power of a gun, it is not the ability to speak eloquently and convince crowds of men, it is not even the money one is able to conjure up. In it all the only lasting thing is friendship. Within friendship time itself can not overcome it. Although death may strike at any given moment the words shared between two peers echoes in journals passed down. Though the exact phrases shared may not be remembered the time spent with one another is not forgotten. 

Now there are those who care not for a sense of community within an organization. They rely solely on themselves, their wit and their dedication to their marksmanship skill. They topple the world and feel as though they are a type of god who controls all around them. For a moment they may be that. Certainly they begin to lose all friends as begin to grow fearful of opposition. A sense of paranoia creeps around them like a shadow in the night and anxious thoughts well up inside. If they never developed this sense of friendship or community they feel ever more alone as they sit as the king of the hill. Eventually their own lack of developing a solid circle becomes their downfall as there becomes a circle like a noose that goes around their neck and hangs them. 

There are some who value money over contact. Feeling as though the more they send up in contributions will earn them a spot into the beautiful hierarchy they aspire to be part of. They spend hours and hours collecting money that is not theirs to give it to people as a gift and sure it is appreciated but when associates try to buy friendship or buy a role they are never really recognized for who they are as much as they are for what they can give. It must be made clear then that this person is not underappreciated, its just that this person is often never really known. Leaders tiptoe around the bigger earners because they do not want to lose the person who keeps them fed. The downfall of this person is that they are usually kept in the same crew because leaders recognize how much they can bring in and not necessarily their leadership potential. 

Thirdly there are those are over-active in the streets. Sure the streets is a welcoming place and we should be cordial with all we encounter. There is a saying from a bishop long ago that stated, "He who cant hold his tongue is destined to sin." Same rings true here. Those often most active in the streets become a sort of target to everyone else. Immediately recognized and placed on a watch list from other crews as someone who is a potential. Their own down fall becomes when their activity is more about being noticed by the world rather than those in the same crew. They make attempts to stand out by speaking out but it always leads to them dying out much sooner. If you notice the trend of more powerful leaders they never focus on the streets until they have paid more focus to their character. 

The greatest weapon, for oneself, for lineage, for family, is to develop your sense of community. When an individual creates friendships they last through the ages. Some cant create the great guns that decimate cities. Some cant earn millions in a day. Some cant even write a beautiful worded speech but all can create friendship if they do so try. It is through the constant acts of seeking out the neighbor that you will immediately see those people are the ones who would gladly die for you if it meant something more for you. When people would throw away all the time they spent in their life so you could continue to live yours, no amount of guns or money could ever replace that feeling. Loyalty is the single greatest thing that this life could offer. It is through this two way street of loyalty that success in this life is truly found. 

Perhaps a certain clarification should be made before all could share their immediate thoughts. Public Speaking, Marksmanship, and Money are all very important. Some more important than others at certain times. The constant, the one most important that should not be neglected is the intimate communication, the developing and deepening of friendships. When friendships grow head quarters seem to be more active. When there is a lack of friendship and community there seems to be a feeling of loneliness that haunts. It becomes like a giant rain cloud hanging over an individuals head or the head of a headquarters.  

A few rhetorical questions for you to consider. What are you doing to develop your inner circle? Who are the people you are investing your time into? The friendships you develop now will pay off both today and in the distant and most unforeseeable future. When your gun is out of ammo and your bank is depleted and words no longer come out of your mouth it is only friendships that go forth from one generation to the next. 

The man slowly bowed his head. Took a few steps backward and proceeded to exit. Perhaps his intention was not for a debate as much as it was as a helpful tip he has learned by studying different mobsters. Perhaps he cared not to hear compliments on his speech as much as he cared that that time was spent developing a fellowship within the bars and businesses in the social districts. Whatever the reason he chose to speak today he did so with hope that one individual may take his words to heart.