Do leadership and compassion go hand in hand. Does compassion make you liberal?
For the longest time there has been this belief amongst leaders that any sign of compassion is a sign of weakness. Men don’t cry. Leaders don’t admit mistakes. Real men who lead are not socially active.
True to form, we don’t waste time delving any deeper than these superficial slogans. To make life easier, we have labels for people who think beyond their skin and comfort. “Bleeding heart” and “liberal” are choice words of condemnation for anyone who exhibits compassion. So toxic are these words that good old liberals have started calling themselves “progressive!” “Conservative” is the word of choice for “toughness” but all it does is hides the self serving orthodoxy of the Neanderthal.
Fortunately, I have yet to meet a “liberal” or a “conservative”. People are complex being driven by things, including logic and emotion, and rarely if ever fit a label. Well the world of simpletons who believe in labels is marvelous and exciting but for the rest of us who are educated and intelligent enough to be issue based there is fact based analysis to do.
Here is the real kicker for all you toughies out there. Hate to break it to you but if you have a pulse then you have compassion congenitally placed in you. Push it back and get along with the rat race then you are disadvantaged because you are not playing with the full deck.
More importantly, eventually it will catch up with you. Usually, tough leaders have a change of heart when they are at the receiving end of a tragedy or travesty – brought upon by other tough leaders or their own stupidity. Senator Craig is as compassionate as they get these days. His voice is lower and demeanor oh all so amiable. He has learnt that being an SOB is good for the short haul not the marathon that life is.
The choice for you is to wait for your bathroom encounter or acknowledge the need to be socially responsible without.
What is being socially responsible, you ask?
I am glad you asked. But I am not about to define the term for you. You have it define it for yourself. What do you think is your role in society? What do you think you are doing to fulfill it? What do you think you can do more of to make this world a better place to live in? I am sure you will come up with the appropriate answer for your situation and appetite.
And if you are having difficulty grasping this concept then ask yourself: Do you matter?
Still need help?
