“While the ambition of the hallowed framers had been ‘inseparably linked’ with building up a constitutional government allowing the people to govern themselves, he [Abraham Lincoln] feared that in the chaos of moblike behavior, men of the likes of an Alexander, a Caesar, or a Napoleon would likely seek distinction by boldly setting themselves ‘to the task of pulling down.’ Such men of ‘towering’ egos, in whom ambition is divorced from the people’s best interest, were not men to lead a democracy; they were despots.”

This is a quote from Doris Kearns Goodwin about Abraham Lincoln in her book Leadership in Turbulent Times, page 19. These words are extraordinarily true even today.

Leadership is earned, it is not given – a lesson those in national, state, and local government still don’t seem to understand. And yet so many not in politics spew political venom while hiding behind the protective, unnamed veils of social media. Too many speak falsehoods and because of their prominence, they expect everyone to accept their words as truth.

Too many seize onto such falsehoods and make it their position without first verifying the truth in those words. Too many lack the courage or resolve to disagree face-to-face with another – they simply stab and run to avoid any confrontation. Or they hide behind the mask of anonymity.

A brilliant business futurist, William C. Jeffries, published Taming the Scorpion: Preparing American Business for the Third Millennium in 1996. On page 165, Mr. Jeffries said, “Corporations today are over-managed and under-led.” This same is true today in the political arena.

Today’s blog is not pointed at any one person, nor even one group of people or political persuasion. But rather this blog encircles all of us. We are all collectively guilty. Some have espoused passionate verbal abuse of those who think differently or look differently and have done so with racist, culturally insensitive rhetoric. Perhaps someone did an injustice to a relative several generations past, or perhaps that distant relative was the perpetrator. Perhaps it is the fear of the unknown in another person. Perhaps that is the way they were taught. Hate has cooked slowly on a back burner in Mankind’s kitchen. It is nothing new – it has been happening for thousands of years and is entrenched in us. But anything, and I do mean anything, can be changed if one person or a group of people so desire.

There is another guilty group that has sat quietly on the sidelines, hiding in the shadows, and avoiding the issues. This is perhaps the largest group that we can call ‘The Nothings’, or the ‘Silent Majority’ as they were once referenced. They wear these hidden tags because that is what they think, what they do, and how they are not seen. They correct nothing yet validate the falsehoods and misconceptions with their silence. Instead, they wait for someone else to step up and address the situation or offer solutions. ‘The Nothings’ cannot be bothered because the problem has yet to impact their own little universe. But by that point in time, it will be too late. 

We are also the only ones who can make this right with each other and within ourselves. When do we start? When do you start?

Are you a ‘Leader’ or are you a ‘Nothing?’