Heroes And Leaders

Heroes and leaders rise to the occasion because of who they are, regardless of their past.

I find it interesting and troubling that we expect our heroes and leaders to be mistake free and above reproach.  They are vetted in the media, taking the word of others who are likely not free of fault themselves, for our amusement and ultimately our attention in the name of news.  They are vilified by the same media and we talk negatively about them as if they are out to get us and are at the same level as the devil.

At the same time we hope, want and often demand that our flaws, past sins and youthful mistakes be dismissed and overlooked.  We all long to be forgiven as the past as we cannot return to the past and the only hope for the future is learning from mistakes and evolving for the better over time.

I will wax religious, which is rare for me in a public forum, and refer to the life of Christ.  Jesus lived a perfect life that was free of sin and he's often pointed to as the ultimate example.  And yet the bible teaches that "All have sinned and fallen short...".  When reading the stories of Jesus, I see something different, something that I hope to aspire to.  Jesus loved everyone regardless of who they were or what they had done.  He was able to connect with a person without criticizing or condoning their past or current actions.  In doing so he inspired everyone he met to be better and expect more of themselves.  This was his power and what scared the "establishment" who used peoples flaws and sins to control them and extract payment for forgiveness of those flaws.

We (me included) are searching for heroes and leaders to inspire us and make us better and I'd like to propose that they are out there and they're either unwilling or afraid to step into the forefront as they know their past will not be accepted.  Instead they quietly lead in their own domain, be it business, writing, art or sports.

My question is, what would happen if we were to accept the strong heroes and leaders for who they are today and what they could be in the future instead of focusing on their past mistakes and flaws.  Remember it's the past mistakes and flaws that are the best teacher and the fact that they've been overcome is a measure of strength.

Gerald Trees
Musings And Observations Of An Adventurous Life Seeker