The Future is Made Up of Two Camps – Which one will you choose?
There are two troubling trends dominating the headlines –
The first is a wave of martyrs the ISIS forces are sending into Middle Eastern and European cities to wreak havoc on the people who live there. Martyrdom is not that impressive. It requires little or no skill to pull off. It prohibits the perpetrator from making any ongoing contribution to his or her cause. Probably most troubling – those calling for it don’t ever seem to be willing to sacrifice themselves but instead prey upon the weak and vulnerable by promising glory in exchange for their final contribution.
The second is a related but distinctively different trend – the number of people in the US who are vowing they will sit out the presidential election this fall. They claim they can’t support Trump – he’s bombastic, he’s a bully and a bigot. He’s a businessman not presidential material – za, za, za. Others can’t support Hilary – she’s going to raise taxes, she is in Wall Street’s pocket, she’s not Bernie, she’s married to Bill – za, za, za.
Neither of these approaches make a material contribution to progress. They are expedient, they lower one’s anxiety and/or frustration. They are, the easy way out. Life is complicated these days. Violence seems up everywhere, differences are spawning conflict not conversation, candidates are playing on fears and base instincts. Even sports, the place we use to divert ourselves from the realities that trouble us seem troubled – FIFA scandals, Olympic nightmares, management-labor battles and misdeeds by the athletes themselves. Taking yourself out of the game is bad for you – and for all of us. Most people who sit out elections don’t equate themselves to suicide bombers – but the similarity is striking. To pass on democracy simplifies the job for the lesser voices to rule. It makes the people with little or no voice more vulnerable. It makes the job of the demigod or despot’s job easier.
Leadership is about stepping up when things aren’t working. It is the most hopeful of human endeavors. So the questions we leave you with are these:
If times are dark and disappointing, are you among the people trying to change things or are you waiting for the “broken system to fix itself?
There are only two camps in this world – the architects of the future and the obstacles that need to be overcome. Are you willing to leave the architectural work to someone else?
We hope not…