True Greatness

            When did we decide that despising the poor is acceptable? When did turning a blind eye to the afflictions of others become a source of pride? When did churlishness morph from a fault into a strength? When did we elevate pettiness to virtue? When did we start admiring bullies instead of standing up to them? When did trampling on the weak and destitute become an honorable activity? When did dark become light?

            I just finished “To Kill a Mockingbird,” and enjoyed it immensely, especially the character of Atticus Finch. If you’ve never read this book, go now, get it, or check it out, and peruse the pages. I’m drawn to Atticus Finch for the same reasons I’m drawn to Franklin Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, George Washington Carver, George Washington, Winston Churchill, Sergeant York, Abraham Lincoln, Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, Joseph Elliott, Richard Sprague, David Sprague, and Jesus the Christ (this is a very incomplete list). They all understood what it meant to be an honorable man in difficult circumstances and walked it out to the best of their abilities. With the exception of Jesus, none were perfect. Look closely enough at their lives and you will find misdeeds. But, they all understood the need to stand up for what is right. We must reinvigorate, must honor, must cultivate that, and similar, character traits in our society and culture.

            We must recall that it is noble to reach out and help someone in need and fight for those societal structures, official, unofficial, and personal, that help others, despite the cost to ourselves. I was taught, by word and experience on the playground, that one must stand up for those who are weak and unable to defend themselves. We must strengthen our courage, standing up to the bully and the strongman wherever we find them. Those that attack the weak for being weak do not deserve respect, adulation, or greater responsibility. They deserve, and have earned, censure, personal and public. After all, those of us who enjoy great personal strength, opportunities, and blessing enjoy them not for personal aggrandizement, but to transform and improve the world. And as a nation, we enjoy great wealth and resources, along with the attendant possibilities. Instead of aggregating and stockpiling our blessings, we should set as large a table as possible, pulling up a chair and making welcome the halt, the dispossessed, and the impoverished. Of course, creating such a society, culture, and nation involves expense, sometimes great expense; but, personal and corporate sacrifice is noble, not stupid or misguided. We enjoy abundant resources and a thriving economy. Despite the largess of the Lord, we hoard our blessing, turning away from the poor and needy at home and abroad. We spend far too much time listening to those among us that counsel fear and loathing of the other, encouraging selfishness under the guise of self-protection.

            Those who choose to lead must call out our better selves, not encourage hatred and animosity. We must learn again to stand up to the bully, the selfish charlatan who demeans the helpless and hapless. When I was a child, my father taught me to stand up to bullies on the playground. Now, as an adult, I hear him urging me to stand up to the bullies on my adult playground. I must do this thing if I am to live with a modicum of self-respect. I must pick up the cause of the weak and downtrodden or give up any claim on decency and culture. Those who make themselves appear strong by oppressing the weak will not receive my support or respect. They do not deserve it. Instead they will receive my pity for their smallness and deluded state. We should reject their calls to denigrate the suffering because of their suffering. We must resist the temptation to savor judging those in need for the circumstances that put them there. After all, we enjoy our privileged place due to the help and assistance of many others. None of us can truthfully lay claim to being self-made. Much of our success stems from the accident of our birth, not the power of our intellect. We must deal gently with those of lessor fortunes if we truly wish to be a great nation.

             This is the challenge of our time. We must remember that our greatness as a nation does not flow from a powerful military. We do not measure greatness by GDP or the number of millionaires and billionaires in our land. We do not strengthen our greatness through ridicule or snarky comments. We build our greatness by binding up the wounded. We establish our greatness when we generously welcome the needy into our fellowship. We become great through compassion and sharing. When we open the doors to those “huddled masses, yearning to be free” we will find our greatness.

Character Counts

            The unit changed rapidly and radically, and not for the better. We had enjoyed a command climate that fostered innovation, with a focus on mission accomplishment. Our leadership encouraged trying new things, adapting to different and challenging conditions. The previous commander willingly accepted the risk associated with attempting to find a better way of doing things. Now we had a new commander. Failure meant censure. Perfection was the new standard. Individuals did not matter. Learning was not encouraged or tolerated. Learning means that you might still be doing something incorrectly. Any imperfection must be stamped out and the perpetrator punished as an example for the rest. Daily haranguing became the norm. Berating was the new standard for interaction between leaders and the led. We morphed from a unit that trained and excelled into a grim organization focused on survival. A unit takes on the persona of the commander. It is an old Army maxim and is quite true. Any organization takes on the personality of the leader. Throughout my military career, I served in many different units at all levels, leading diverse organizations and units. I observed many unit transformations after changes of command and leadership. Sometimes it went very well. Other times, the resulting chaos was painful to watch and excruciating to participate in. A caustic command climate can render what was an effective and growing organization impotent and deathly. This happens at all levels and all types of organization; civilian as well as military, which is why character matters when considering someone for a leadership position.

            When considering someone for high office, must take stock of their character as the organization they lead will take on their character. If they are given to prevarication, bullying, dissembling, or bombast, their organization will soon take on those particular traits. It is inevitable. Negative leaders produce negative groups. If, however, they exhibit more positive traits, then they bend the organization in a more positive direction. If they hold honesty, frankness, justice, and hard work in high esteem, then their leadership is a positive transformative force. Leaders influence and manage out of their own perceived strengths; avoiding those things they consider weaknesses. This is why we must carefully consider the personal traits of potential leaders.

            Do we want our organization, or in the case of national office, country to look like the individual clamoring for our support. As the next election cycle spins up, we must expend time and effort considering what direction we want our country to move. In some ways, character counts more than positions on “hot-button” issues. National policy emerges from the crucible of competing interests. The framers of the constitution crafted a system that moves in halting fits and starts; one in which various voices influence the shape of national policy. National leaders exert influence over policy, but their character exerts a more pernicious influence over the atmosphere of government and the quality of our nation. They may embrace our particular issue, especially if we lift up one issue as paramount in our political worldview, but you and I ought to be more concerned with the character of the government they will craft. They will lead and govern in the same fashion they live their lives.

            Of course, some will say, “Well, they all lie.” We usually speak these words when seeking to defend a particularly notorious leader that embraces our particular issue or issues. We say this in order to alleviate the burden of evaluation and difficult choices. Our chosen leader or candidate has articulated support for issues we consider important, yet prior bad acts raise valid fitness questions. We mouth these words to comfort and deflect. Modern media and lengthy election cycles enable effective character evaluation. We do not seek perfection or we could not consider anyone; however, those seeking great responsibility must display great capability. All of us fail. We must treat each other, and this includes those seeking high office, graciously. But a pattern of misbehavior in daily life, business practices, or lower office ought to preclude a candidate from serious consideration. We do need to develop and enforce some puritanical litmus test, but instead, search a candidate’s personal record for those indicators that speak to the quality of their leadership. Will they influence their organization for good or ill? If their past record demonstrates a proclivity toward negative behaviors, then the chances are that they will not alter their practices and their impact will be negative. In the next few months we must take stock of a persons character, as well as their stated platform if we desire a good outcome.

            Integrity and honor create an individual worthy of the mantle of leadership. A thoughtful man or woman of high moral fiber will seek the best path, the just resolution to an intractable problem, and the most equitable solution to a Gordian knot and then pursue it to an appropriate end. All of this, while surrounding themselves with high-quality individuals for wise counsel and support. A person of questionable character may give lip service to a worthy cause in order to secure my support. A person of courage and honor will labor and sacrifice to take the higher path, all the while shaping and influencing our nation for the better. Character counts and we must be wise, independent, and strong enough to reject those whose character flaws will move our nation away from goodness.

The Man in the Mirror

            “The nut didn’t fall too far from that tree.” “You look just like your father.” These and other similar statements filled my youth. They never bothered me. The truth is, I bear a marked semblance to my father. If you were to see pictures of us at the same age, you would note similar genetic heritage, down to our currently balding pates. We are not unusual in this. Everyone knows people who share physical traits with their parents. It is all part of the wondrous mystery of creation. Yet, recently, I’ve noticed an oddly comforting facet of my genetic predilection.

            In my mind, my father remains fixed at an indeterminate age between forty-five and fifty-five. I do not know why. I know how old my father is and am thankful for his hale and hearty constitution and all that it portends for me. Whatever the reason, when I think of my father that is the picture that pops up on the screen of my mind. And I see it more and more frequently these days.

            Every now and then, I catch my father looking over my shoulder. He seems to be watching me more closely these days. He’s quite adept and keeping a low profile. He rarely shows himself. Most of the time I catch a brief glimpse out of the corner of my eye. But, now and then, when I least expect him he shows up, sometimes in rather startling ways.

           For most of my adult life, I served in the Army, necessitating a clean shave and very short hair. I also enjoyed a very limited choice in attire. My father, a history professor at Abilene Christian University (ACU), wore a sport-coat and tie to work almost every day. He sported a beard, as soon as ACU, then Abilene Christian College (ACC), relaxed their grooming standards. Our differing careers submerged similarity beneath fatigues, tweeds, and leather elbow patches. Now, retired from the Army and pursuing a second career as a teacher…go figure…the similarity has resurfaced. Nowadays, when I catch my reflection in a window, glass door, or another reflective surface, my father looks back at me. And it’s not just an outward similarity.

            I find my father’s thoughts and beliefs exerting a strong influence on my daily walk. Some of it arises from similar career choices. My father taught, I teach. But, it runs much more deeply than a simple career choice. I find my father’s beliefs pulling at me, like some mysterious orb of super-heavy material. Slowly, inexorably, I drift inward, finding comfortable thought patterns and paths. More than I care to admit, I hear his voice echoing in my classroom. He snuck into my room, stocking it with volumes of history, literature, photographs, and sundry educational materials. Strangely, I find his hand annotating my books and lesson plans. He edits my reading list, scholastic and personal. His ideas regarding teaching, even daily living compete with my own, often prevailing. His is the quiet voice that whispers urgently in quiet reflection, “Don’t forget to…” Unrelentingly, my father influences what I do and how I do it. A pernicious presence, he watches and follows my daily activities, often showing up when I do not expect it.

            If my father were an abject failure or a dark twisted influence this would be a grim essay; however, he overcame a variety of challenges, growing into a Godly man, faithful husband, and excellent father. So I do not mind, or resist, his sway. Each day, during my prayer and meditation, I offer thanks for a good father who remains active in my life. He still watches over me. He thinks he’s sly. But periodically I catch a glimpse of him furtively checking up on my progress toward manhood. And, I find his presence comfortable.

            

More About Fake News

            Broadcast personal gravely intone the perils of it. Newspapers spill barrels of ink explaining and exploring it. Researchers pour over reams of data seeking to quantify it. Prominent personalities label reports critical of their behavior or policy it. With distressing regularity, individuals file anything that does not fit their personal paradigm or worldview under it. Intellectually flabby thinkers call challenging information it. Many blogs and social-media platforms traffic in it. Politicians of all types relish using and decrying it. Fake News, the scourge of current society, seems to insert itself everywhere. Yet, we frequently either miss or, more likely, choose to ignore one particular format of fake news, misuse of language.

            We abuse the English language, ignoring the definitions of words, trying to bend them to our purpose in the hope of inducing someone to embrace our particular thought on a subject. A fine example is the word crisis. The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) offers three definitions for crisis; a time of intense difficulty or danger, a time when a difficult or important decision must be made, and the turning point of a disease when an important change takes place, indicating either recovery or death. A crisis is a dangerous turning point, a situation fraught with peril, and a time in which the fundamental order of things may change in unforeseeable ways. Unless a situation or circumstance entails grave peril or danger to label it a crisis is inappropriate and ignores the proper definition of a crisis. Yet, we see men and women in positions of responsibility regularly do this to strengthen their position.

            They seek to rally people behind their position, even if it is one of dubious import. They raise a hue and cry over some relatively minor issue, calling it a crisis. Through exaggeration they make themselves seem much more important and capable than they truly are. After all, if they solve the “crisis” then they must be trustworthy and powerful individuals indeed. They adhere to the maxim of many historical dictators and strongmen, “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” Ironically, though this quote is often misattributed to Joseph Goebbels, Hitler appears to have coined something like this in Mien Kampf while seeking to blame the Jews for Germany’s loss of World War I. No matter the source, it is true that by misidentifying something as a crisis often enough liars soon convince their audience that doom approaches. As reported in the BBC and other sources, recent research indicates that repetition creates an almost unshakeable belief in a lie.¹ Practitioners of this particular brand of fake news depend upon our use of social media to make this effective. Inadvertently, due to our own predilections and intellectual laziness, we fail to engage in any fact-checking. We repeat the same falsehood because it fits our own viewpoint becoming their witless dupes in spreading “fake news.” And this is, perhaps, the most pernicious and iniquitous fake news of all, the abuse of language.

            Once we embrace this deceptive twisting of the meaning of words, we inhibit effective communication. We find the search for a common understanding of the issues more and more difficult. We believe a relatively minor problem a crisis, expending an inordinate amount of societal energy on it while other truly serious issues remain unaddressed. Deeply foundational fissures wait for serious consideration. Vexing problems that threaten the viability of our democratic institutions linger in the anteroom of government, hat-in-hand as it were, while we engage in acrimonious debate over a non-existential threat. The malefactors, the bullies, win. They’ve successfully diverted us from the salient issues of the day; we often join them in their endeavors.

            Mislabeling an event or circumstance is a form of fake news and perverts the truth, skewing our perception of reality into a form of shared delusion. When we share in the misuse of language, redefining a problem as a crisis, we share in the “big lie.” We join in the chorus and become part of the problem. We must willingly exert the mental effort required to understand the issues of the day. This takes time and effort, requiring us to go deeper than the memes and headlines. Of course, a democratic society rests on the foundation of an educated populace; one that is willing to delve into the details of an issue in order to adroitly handle seemingly intractable problems.

            We must also willingly call those who manipulate language in such a deleterious fashion into account. They do not deserve our trust or confidence. Their actions should make us question their motives. If they cannot bring themselves to embrace the truth, then why should we embrace anything they say or propose to do? Our success as a nation rests on our willingness to engage in the continual work of educating ourselves. Part of the promise of the Internet was making information readily available for all. Sadly, what might serve as education instead provides a lever or wedge to drive us further apart. The resulting rifts make solving the true, intractable, problems we face even harder. In this age of rapid communications and slipshod messaging we must discipline ourselves to ensure that we speak truth. We must not rebroadcast those things that misinform no matter how nicely they reinforce our own opinions. The truth and our nation’s future require this.

1. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20161026-how-liars-create-the-illusion-of-truth