We don’t much think of greatness these days. Great leaders, it seems, are the stuff of history books. I guess George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln come to mind. Many would include Alexander Grahm Bell or Thomas Edison. In more recent times, Winston Churchill or even F.D.R. In my lifetime of real memory, Martin Luther King stands out, maybe J.F.K. But in recent history, I guess Mother Teresa is about the only person I can even think of. My wife throws in Barbara Jordon and Jimmy Carter, maybe Nelson Mandela, maybe Anwar Sadat. I’m not sure these latter choices will stand the judgement of history, but they’re the closest we can come up with off the cuff.
But right this minute, I can’t think of anyone who is in a position of power who is remotely a candidate. I can’t even think of anyone who is a great leader [greatness in training]. So I’m dropping the bar. I’m trying to think of someone who is a good leader. We think we’ve got one in Georgia, Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta. I don’t know much about Rocky Anderson, Mayor of Salt Lake City, but I sure liked his speech the other day. But I’m grasping at straws. We both think we ought to be able to come up with some other names – Bono, Bill Gates, Oprah. They’re doing good things, but they don’t quite fill the bill for "great."
I wonder why there aren’t any names that come to mind? If there were ever a time for greatness, right now is a real candidate. If we ever needed a great [or even good] leader, today‘s the day. Keep your eyes open. Slogging along with these flawed mortals is whipping our butts!
I have been wracking my brain to figure out why Barack Obama – US Senator for Illinois – doesn’t just light the fire of anyone who starts a list such as you are searching to complete. Maybe, just maybe, he has a name that sounds too much like he should be a terrorist instead of the bright star of the Democratic Party. I fear that I, too, would be reticent to have a US President with that moniker. But, heaven forbid that he change it to something “John Smith”ish-like.
Aren’t we humans just the strangest bunch of all things.
Friendly Joe,
Obama’s name came to my mind, but he’s not been on the scene long enough for me to put him in that “great” category just yet. Get back to me in 6 years, and I’ll tell you what I think of him then.