Leading By Example

Today, Angela Merkel is the Time Magazine Person of the Year.  This is significant for many reasons, not the least of which is the accomplishment of a lone female winning the award for the first time in 29 years.  (Philippine President Corazon Aquino was the last lone female in 1986, for "leading a democratic revolution that captured the world's imagination.")  But the considerations of today's selection are much more than this statistic that some MSM are reporting today.

Time Magazine gives many reasons for her selection. She has outsmarted her opponents.  "Providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply" is the closing phrase of the article.  She "brandished a different set of values - humanity, generosity, tolerance."  Another quote about leadership reveals an intriguing insight: Leaders are tested only when people don't want to follow.

The truth of this statement rings worldwide.  In a time of upheaval and uncertainty, leaders in any realm (politics or commerce) must lead... not manage or just rearrange the papers.  The four important descriptors show us how all leaders need to incorporate and embody (not just reflect) in order to succeed in times of turmoil and how we reach those times of peace.

Of course, being a PhD quantum chemist helps you outsmart.  Being the daughter of a minister helps you practice humanity.  Opening doors when the world is afraid shows generosity. Putting up with the dogs of a peer (Putin) when you are reportedly afraid demonstrates your tolerance.

Nature versus nurture, environment versus biology.  The end result - You have to make the choice every day who you want to be.  Find a good place to start and begin, with baby steps, to make bold change in the world.

 

Seventy Four

Returning from recharging - good to do at this time of year.

It was actually Seventy for me.  It was 70 years after those horrible events that I was able to travel and see the memorial.  My grandfather fought for America's freedom - I have his medals framed where I can see them every day, along with another shadow box with things like the "censor approved" anniversary postcard he sent to my grandmother from "abroad", his dog tag (and hers) as well as some of the family ration cards.

Indications are, from fact and some of his statements, that he was one of the first paratroopers into the European front.  When he came home, even though the family vacation was 1200+ miles each year, he refused to fly.  He gently refused to eat things out of cans.  Sometimes, he would just sit under the big tree they planted at the house right after my grandparents were married.

Today - 74 years after the attack on Pearl Harbor - it is especially important to remember the sacrifices others have made to keep us safe. In these tumultuous times, keep your families close to your heart; enjoy your time and make happy memories.  It is difficult to remember unpleasant things, but it is the only way we learn lest history repeats itself (in actions as well as responses).

According to officials at the Pearl Harbor Museum, this was the first year that there were no Pearl Harbor survivors to attend a ceremony.  

Though time has passed, remember what others have given so that you may have so much.  Anniversaries come and go, happy and sad - remember what they mean as it's not the things that count, but how events impact our lives.

Your Dream versus Their Dream

It's great to hear that people still possess the power of positive thinking (http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/07/aspen-ideas-american-dream-survey/397274/), but what if they go where you aren't? (http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/07/01/poll-obama-millennials-want-to-leave-the-america-they-created/)