One of the lessons I learned early on in my banking career, personal banking career, is that you never sign a check and leave the amount blank. It can be dangerous to tell someone to fill in the amount. They could put any amount they want to in blank. They could empty out your checking account. They could overcharge.
One of the downfalls of modern savings is the credit/debit card. It makes spending money too easy. Saving money requires discipline. The plastic cards make impulse purchases and over-budget purchases too easy. Research has found that having to use cash, the actual paper money, makes us spend less impulsively. It slows down the thinking process and puts a tangible value to the purchase.
Impulse decisions are often ones that we regret. The King, Herod, has been set up by his new wife. She knows his weaknesses and she uses them against him. She knows he can’t resist a “piece of tail” so she uses that against him. She knows he cares deeply about what other people think of him. This too becomes a weapon against him. And he is proud and impulsive.
So in the heat of excitement, seeing this young woman dance before he and his guests, he writes the blank check. He might have expected her to ask for a chariot of her own (the equivalent of a new car), but he leaves the door open.
Look closely at his offer. He is willing to give her a 49.9% share in his corporation. This is not quite a controlling share amount, but you get the picture. He is willing to put in all on the line for her. You would not want to leave him alone in Atlantic City or Las Vegas. He would spend it all.
Some of us would give our kids just about anything in order to be “liked.” We want them to be our friends, so we write them blank checks by giving them consequences for their actions, but then backing out and not carrying through on the consequences. We ground them for a week, but then let them go over to their friend’s special event only two days into the discipline. We take away their electronic devices, but then give them back the next day because they are driving you nuts with the complaining.
The king starts with the reward of “anything”, but then retracts the offer a little bit by making it official. He starts with everything, but then gives her a dollar figure, “half”.
In wealthy families you can see this competition playing out in the High School parking lots. The kids play the fancy cars against their parents. “They got the BMW. Why can’t I get one?” With younger kids it might be, “They have a cell phone, why not me?” or “horse” or “TV” or, or, or.
The Arnold Journey 