No, not a post on height. Today the world lost a giant, Coretta Scott-King. And tonight a midget, George W. Bush, will address the country. It bothers me on a fundamental level. I feel cheated, like I got the bad end of a trade. I want, and deserve, to be able to admire our leaders, to look up to them as an example to emulate. And what I get is an over-age, average frat boy with delusions of greatness.
I know that great people do not always make great leaders. Jimmy Carter, one of my absolute heroes, is a great, great man. He was a pretty bad president. Bill Clinton is a truly flawed man, but a good leader. I just want to not have a flawed man who is also a bad president. We should be able to do better.
4 comments:
Do you feel like I do, that all the giants are slowly dying out? I wonder who of the people in the public eye today will be seen as giants as we get older. I don't see many people that could qualify for that description. But that may just be my cynicism talking ... Who are the new giants?
In a way, this post is related to your earlier "wrong turns" post.
Almost all successful politicians are flawed as people. And, in today's media environment, we get to know all the dirt on them. Unfortunately, the more personal dirt we know about someone, the less likely we are to elect them to lead our country.
No one can stand up to such scrutiny. Most reasonably intelligent people that I know over 30 are "jaded". Part of me thinks that we are incapable of seeing anyone as a hero any longer. Then again, maybe those who are really capable of inspiring us flinch from that harsh scrutiny that is now public life.
Maybe its not that the giants are dying out, but that our innocence has. We see the flaws as well as the qualities.
I like Barak Obama -- he has giant potential. Don't laugh, but Angelina Jolie might yet become a giant; the potential is there too, I think.
I'm hopeful that there is change coming in the next generation. Many are seeking ways to live meaningful lives, and less traditional paths. Who knows where this might lead?
Another friend of mine blogged briefly about CSK's death vs Alito's appointment to the Supreme Court. Guess he sees a trend too.
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