It is amazing to me how we live in a country with so much liberty and freedom to freely educate ourselves yet, there are so many constituents who are uninformed about the founding principles of our great nation. Many under the age of 18 have not read the Constitution. Many voters believe healthcare is a Constitutional right… because Obama told them so. None of those who believe this have been able to tell me exactly where in the Constitution we’re given “free” healthcare… I’m still waiting to learn.
Politicians today are more self absorbed and self righteous than ever before. They vote for laws that do not apply to themselves. They raise millions of dollars hob knobbing with the “elite rich” they claim to despise, then campaign from church pulpits whose speech and morals they wish to silence. Elected officials use society’s groupings to pitch each cast against each other. They are no better than the leaders Gandhi fought against.
Our founding fathers, although not perfect men, understood that the vision they had to create an America where all were equal to succeed, progress, and live their dreams was greater than them. They asked for no accolades or credit. They did not require praise or the worship of man. They only desired that their plan work and that it give America’s new citizens the right to choose their future and wellbeing. To ensure that there would be no monopoly of the minority or the majority they created our three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial.
This week with the Elena Kagan hearings, we are reminded of the importance of every branch on the individual level. Every branch can help or hinder us and each branch can provide the checks and balances our forefathers intended.
Have you ever met an American soldier? Their self sacrifice, resolve, and spirit is stunning and inspiring. They are everything most politicians are not. Sure, among a few you have hard headed teenagers searching for meaning and purpose. But our talented and brilliant volunteer only military are able to hone and perfect skills and make an individual feel and know that they can make a difference.
Sometimes during campaigns politicians speak of how much they want to be different. They proclaim how when they are elected they intend to go against the grain on Capitol Hill. Sadly, most are wooed and persuaded to change their stance once they walk through those hallowed marbled halls. A few, like Cantor, Bachmann and others, stand strong and do not change the promises they made to their voters.
I have recently been reading about the great Christian hero Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In the biography, Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy written by Eric Metaxas, Metaxas notes that Bonhoeffer once made a speech on the radio about the importance of God being the sole leader of Germany. And that no man could take his place. He also noted that leaders need others around them to delegate things too, as they are human, they can only handle so much. In my reading of the book it seems to me as if Bonhoeffer is stressing that a true leader will have the moral clarity to understand that he is imperfect, that he needs correction, and that he might need to do what the people need versus what the people want.
Bonhoeffer had this to say about a leader:
If he understands his function in any other way than as it is rooted in fact, if he does not continually tell his followers quite clearly of the limited nature of his task and of their own responsibility, if he allows himself to surrender to the wishes of his followers, who would always make him their idol – then the image of the Leader will pass over into the image of the mis-leader, and he will be acting in a criminal way not only towards those he leads, but also towards himself. The true Leader must always be able to disillusion. It is just this that is his responsibility and his real object. He must lead his following away from the authority of his person to the recognition of the real authority of orders and offices… He must radically refuse to become the appeal, the idol, i.e. the ultimate authority of those whom he leads… He serves the order of the state, of the community, and his service can be of incomparable value. But only so long as he keeps strictly in his place… [H]e has to lead the individual into his own maturity. Now a feature of a man’s maturity is responsibility towards other people, towards existing orders. He must let himself be controlled, ordered, restricted.
It is amazing that Bonhoeffer had the wherewithal in 1933, when this speech was given, to foresee problems that political leaders would have to deal with for years to come.
I personally challenge all who are considering running to read this. Make it a pledge to act on the previous paragraph. And, I challenge you the voter to remember this when you are looking for someone to lead your school, city, county or country. A man’s character is crucial when it comes to how he will make decisions when the pressure is on.
*Visit Red Rover Style to see past columns written by Elisha and to read other columnists from fashion to mommyhood.
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