A Call for Courageous Leadership

"The safety of the world depends on your saying 'no' to inhumane ideas. Standing up for one's own integrity makes you no friends. It is costly. Yet defiance of the mob, in the service of that which is right, is one of the highest expressions of courage I know." --Gabrielle Giffords, May 2009.

Yesterday, the senseless shooting that killed six people, including a nine-year old girl and a federal judge, and seriously injured Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords at a “Congress on Your Corner” event in front of a Safeway store, was one more incident in our nation’s recent history that sparked in me a deep anger towards the irresponsibility and immaturity of many so-called leaders of our country.

One of my first hard lessons in leadership was the realization that as a leader, whether you like it or not, your voice, words, and actions need to be weighed carefully and thoughtfully to ensure others do not misinterpret your intentions or take action in ways you did not intend. As a leader, your choice of words, symbols, or actions carry more weight than you realize, and when not chosen thoughtfully, can lead to exactly the type of violence that occurred yesterday morning in Arizona.

There will always be unbalanced or deranged people willing to listen to an insidious call for violent action. But that does not take away the responsibility of leaders to be thoughtful and responsible in their words and actions. Keith Olbermann said it best in his special comments yesterday afternoon on CNN.

Furthermore, we need higher levels of real leadership from our elected officials, and from all those in leadership positions in our country. Our elected officials, and all those in leadership roles in our country, need to learn to put aside selfishness, petty disagreements, and competition over who is “right” and get down to the real work that needs to be done to get our country, our businesses, and our families back on track towards fiscal responsibility and accountability for our choices.

Our role, our calling, our forefather’s ideals, and our country’s purpose is to set an example for the world of the benefits of true democracy and honest leadership. I hope this tragic incident will propel us back towards more thoughtful, respectful leadership instead of further towards the childish and petty arguments over who is right or wrong, which person or party should be blamed for the situation we are in today, or who can “win” the next election. Our country and the livelihood of our citizens should not be treated like a football match, with winners and losers sneering or celebrating over victory or defeat. There are serious issues at stake, and it is only with bi-partisan collaboration that we will be able to solve them.

As Bill Plotkin, author of the excellent book, Nature and the Human Soul, and founder of the Animas Valley Institute, states: “Contemporary society has lost touch with soul and the path to psychological … maturity, or true adulthood. Instead, we are encouraged to create lives of predictable security, false normality, material comfort, bland entertainment, and the illusion of eternal youth. Most of our leaders — political, cultural, and economic — represent and defend a non-sustainable way of life built upon military aggression, the control and exploitation of … ‘resources,’ and an entitled sense of national security that ignores the needs of other species, other nations, tribes, and races, and our own future generations.”

Our current economic system, governing system, and other major institutions of contemporary society fill me with sadness, outrage, and a deep-rooted fear for our future. Many of us live our lives today like we are playing a giant elitist monopoly game, with no respect or understanding for how choices today impact our world or our lives tomorrow, with the illusion that he who has the most money –or the most votes-- wins the game.

Life is not a game. Our country’s future is not a game. The future of our citizens is not a game. It is real. And it is all of our responsibility to work together to change it.

I call on all of us to grow up, look around, and stop contributing to a life of predictability, false normality, material comfort, and bland entertainment. Furthermore, let's stop inciting violence, encouraging violence, and worshiping violence in our entertainment choices. Instead, let’s work together to create a better future for our country, for our children, for our world, and get our ingrained need for adventure and challenge met through our own challenges and adventures as we step forward into authentic and courageous lives.

Leaders, community members, friends, all … find your integrity. Find your courage. Find your passions. Find the issue you want to change. Find the courage to defy the mob in the service of that which you believe is right.

But do it peacefully, gracefully, with understanding and compassion towards those who do not share your beliefs. For the future of our children, our country, and our world, let's learn to work together for the good of the whole.