When we sit and think about the world we live in, there is a multitude of ideas, both as old as the dirt under our shoes, and some innovative, original sparks of creativity. There is a handful of places that present themselves in our minds, those we know and love, and those we have yet to explore. Some take our breath away, and others consume our breath with their imaginative possibilities that have yet to be charted. The images of people also come flooding through our heads. These are the figure heads, the initiators, the lovers, the ones that hold out hope for us.
Some may argue that our world, as we see it, is currently devoured by the pieces that matter to us, or at least by the pieces that seem to matter, yet when looked at through a greater magnifying glass, are rather insignificant in the grand scheme. There are ideas of happiness, whether they be slightly materialistic, or as simple as the stones we walk on from day to day. There are also ideas of what we think should be, and what is, and what we can do leave our 'impact' on the landscape with which we surround ourselves. 'Impact'... That's it. Everyone wants to make one and leave it, and why shouldn't they? If it isn't for that, then what else are we doing why we're here? Everyone wants to love and be loved, in some way, however minuscule, or grandiose it may seem. Some set out for conquest, others for more humble endeavors. The point is to survive, and strive to thrive, and to be remembered all the while.
When I sit down and think about the current situation we are in, and I mean the one that engulfs all of us as a human race, one that is starting to be known as fearful and on fire with hatred, a chapter in our book that is still turning the pages, awaiting the resolution of hope and rebuilding, I ask myself why this is. I think it stems from one simple thing, surrounding many other pieces of the puzzle that are tearing us apart, yet at the same time, can turn it around.
Leadership.
When I was growing up, it is more than fair to say that I didn't have the slightest idea of what leadership was, and I still don't. As a kid, being a leader means being the loudest voice on the playground, or being the one who decides what games are played in the short twenty-minute span known as recess. I was even a Boy Scout, and loved it. This is a group that teaches leadership in the most hands-on way I've ever experienced. You'd go camping twice a month, and if you and the rest of the troop didn't plan with enough food, the trip was over and you'd have to go home. It taught a lot about maturity, and by that, I mean I learned how immature I was and how little I knew about the world. I became an Eagle Scout by the time I got to high school, and that was the most work I had ever put into anything in my entire life. Even on that day, so proud that I achieved a major goal for the first time, and that I made it to the 'peak of the mountain' as it is coined, I still really knew nothing about leadership. Not to discredit this achievement or its standards, because I learned a lot about myself and about what I could do if I simply got up off the couch. Still I knew nothing about leadership, even though I didn't realize it at the time.
It wasn't until I got to college that my eyes were opened in this matter. Going to a school where everything in the campus community is based on leadership has given me a much better idea, of what it meant to be a better person, and it has surrounded me with some of the coolest individuals I have ever crossed paths with. Yet, I still can confidently say that while I have learned more about what embodies a true leader, I still don't know what it it's about. This has also made me come to the realization that even some of our world leaders don't even necessarily know what it means to be a leader. There is such a hunger for being correct and being respected on a broad level, that it serves as an accidental distraction and contributes ultimately to the downfall of their reputation. Perhaps it would be most beneficial if world leaders learned also how to become followers.
My barber rides his bike to work everyday, and eats a packet of cheese and crackers for lunch, again every single day. He always talks about the weather, and about the golf tournament happening down the street, and how horrendous the traffic will be. He also has a sign on his wall that reads, "Too bad all the people who know how to run this country are too busy cutting hair and driving taxis." While this was meant half seriously and half to get a chuckle out of the guy waiting for a trim in the chair by the wall, it does have some truth. If our officials were just as focused on giving people a nice haircut and cleaning them up, or helping them get to where they need to go, as they are on running groups in a way that will not only keep them in power, but keep them wealthy at the same time, there'd be more smiles to go around.
