Leaders and the light of our path

Photo illustration by Getty Images.

A democracy in a republic is a precious gift we give ourselves. It is indeed the most honorable and personable form of government man has yet made. A gilded gift from the essence of our being. A gift wrapped in national treasure and consecrated by the blood of America’s citizens who have died in the military uniform of the United States to preserve that gift. When the world turns cold and imperils our spirit, the fierce fires of democracy forge our resolve and champion our standing in the annals of mankind.

But the gift has responsibilities, ominous ones. Democracy is not a permanent condition of our land and of our existence as people cherishing freedom. We must regularly choose democracy and choose those who will lead us in that journey within our republic.

Choosing a leader in our strong and good nation challenges us in ways hard to see and define. Choosing a leader requires us to confront the condition of our hearts and the vision that illuminates or dims our fundamental beliefs.

Periodically, at least every two to four years, our republic lays before us the solemn responsibility to choose. We choose ideas, laws and directions, but above all, we choose our leaders. Those of whom we conclude will lead us in the direction of our choosing and lead us in what we conclude is in our best interests. Not easy. Will we choose a wise servant and mentor, or democracy’s future foe?

Choosing a leader requires us to define “leader” and “leadership.” What are our conditions of leadership and qualifications of our leaders? Definitions abound, from the practical to the philosophical. Maybe we can’t define either one. It could be like United States Supreme Court justice Potter Stewart in 1964 when he tried defining obscenity in Jacobellis vs. Ohio. History summarizes Stewart as saying he could not define obscenity, but he knew it when he saw it. Maybe we can’t define leaders or leadership, but we know it when we see them.

Are we, then, prone to whim and not reason in choosing leaders? Probably more so than we admit. The condition of our hearts points us in a direction but won’t take us in that direction. Leaders do that.

History is chock-full with examples of leaders — the superb, the bad, the monstrous. Leaders that bring the light of goodness, or leaders that extinguish it with sinister agenda. What separates them is what former president Dwight D. Eisenhower said is the fundamental character of leaders and leadership. That characteristic is integrity, not just the position or hierarchy a person holds. I’ll add to Eisenhower’s thought and say a leader must also be a moralist, fundamentally embracing good and bad. Integrity nurtures the light of goodness and shows us a path; a path we may not have initially wanted to go on but now realize that path is truly needed.

A leader also must be acknowledged as such. A leader is more than just a person in charge. Leaders don’t have to be liked to get the job done, but they must be respected. Respected most importantly by America’s rank and file. Do you respect, believe and honor that leader? Do they respect and value you and your life? Whom do they serve—you or themselves?

In November we must again exercise that precious gift of democracy and choose our leaders. In doing so we will likely look to those who largely mirror the character of our respective hearts. In our hearts will we choose a leader illuminating the path of democracy or extinguishing it?