HayesGreener
Ronin
I have a general sense of disquiet that I have not felt since the 70's. Concerns about national security, political incompetence, inflation, the economy in general, the division of Americans by corrupt media and race hucksters, rampant drug abuse, violent crime and lack of support for law enforcement, the decline of Judeo-Christian ethics, the abyss of "wokeness", moral decay in our culture, and the list goes on. These things prey on my mind and foment unease. I feel that our ship is headed for a proverbial iceberg.
As a young man I believed we could make a positive difference here at home and on the world stage. Most of us here have dedicated our working lives to making things better. And you know what, we made some mistakes but we did make things better, in great strides. But from where I sit on the retired bench today, it seems those principles and core values that have carried America to greatness have gone stale, they are in the past, and our nation seems in many ways rudderless.
I ask myself "Why are we at this juncture, and can we recover?" The answer I keep coming up with is, Leadership. We need leaders to carry the banner of America. And they are not necessarily elected officials.
Anyone who ever worked in any kind of organization knows good leadership when they see it, but it is hard to define. There are two kinds of individuals in leadership positions. Those who expend all their energy to attain higher office for themselves but get very little done for anyone else, versus those who inspire and lead others to achieve great things. You can immediately spot the servant leader as opposed to the self served. The great leaders of American history stand out for their ability to uplift and inspire us as a united nation. But that trait seems to be in short supply today. I think perhaps we have gotten leadership and celebrity confused, perhaps we have allowed media to control our thinking as to what leadership is, perhaps bureaucracies do not tolerate strong leaders, perhaps all the noise has made us apathetic and ambivalent. But for whatever reason, I have the sense that our ship is headed for that iceberg and somebody needs to grab the wheel.
Edmund Burke is credited with saying "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". It has been said that we are in the midst of a culture war. There are many good men and women emerging who are culture warriors, and some of them are true leaders. I see a glimmer of hope for our culture in those extraordinary men and women who are stepping forward to serve. I need them to step forward and assuage my sense of unease as to what the future holds for my grandchildren.
As a young man I believed we could make a positive difference here at home and on the world stage. Most of us here have dedicated our working lives to making things better. And you know what, we made some mistakes but we did make things better, in great strides. But from where I sit on the retired bench today, it seems those principles and core values that have carried America to greatness have gone stale, they are in the past, and our nation seems in many ways rudderless.
I ask myself "Why are we at this juncture, and can we recover?" The answer I keep coming up with is, Leadership. We need leaders to carry the banner of America. And they are not necessarily elected officials.
Anyone who ever worked in any kind of organization knows good leadership when they see it, but it is hard to define. There are two kinds of individuals in leadership positions. Those who expend all their energy to attain higher office for themselves but get very little done for anyone else, versus those who inspire and lead others to achieve great things. You can immediately spot the servant leader as opposed to the self served. The great leaders of American history stand out for their ability to uplift and inspire us as a united nation. But that trait seems to be in short supply today. I think perhaps we have gotten leadership and celebrity confused, perhaps we have allowed media to control our thinking as to what leadership is, perhaps bureaucracies do not tolerate strong leaders, perhaps all the noise has made us apathetic and ambivalent. But for whatever reason, I have the sense that our ship is headed for that iceberg and somebody needs to grab the wheel.
Edmund Burke is credited with saying "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". It has been said that we are in the midst of a culture war. There are many good men and women emerging who are culture warriors, and some of them are true leaders. I see a glimmer of hope for our culture in those extraordinary men and women who are stepping forward to serve. I need them to step forward and assuage my sense of unease as to what the future holds for my grandchildren.
