What is a Virtuous Leader?
I use the term "virtuous" often when speaking of the standards by which we should measure our candidates and elected officials. I have recently been challenged just what I mean by "virtuous". What makes a great leader? I have always believed that most people innately understand virtue. It is the opposite of dishonesty and vice. It is reliance upon and living by true principles ― unshakable principles which have been tested and proven True over the centuries. It is placing those principles above expediency, party loyalty, popularity, short term gain, and personal gain. A statesman is virtuous. A career politician is not.
Virtue demands honesty and Truth in both public and private affairs. Virtue does not allow duplicity or relative morality. Virtue is based only in Truth and discards anything less. A true and great leader is virtuous. A tyrant is not. What makes a true great leader?
Here I have a source I can call upon to uphold my own views. I will cite an excerpt from Towards a Meaningful Life by Simon Jacobsen: What makes a true great leader?
"In our secular society, we tend to think of a leader as a person who is well-connected or who is powerful or charismatic or wealthy. We judge leaders by what they have. But a true leader should be judged by what he has not: ego, arrogance, and self-interest.
A true leader sees his work as a selfless service towards a higher purpose. As the sages say, 'Leadership is not power and dominance; it is servitude.' That doesn't mean that a leader is weak. He derives great strength from his dedication to a purpose that is greater than himself. Every generation has its Moses ― a leader who inspires absolute trust ― one who is totally dedicated to fulfilling his unique role. He understands and appreciates each person's role in perfecting this world and guides him or her accordingly. He rises above any individual perspective to take a global view, seeing how much each individual person and issue fits into the whole scheme of the contemporary world.
A true leader shakes people from their reverie and tells them: 'No, you don't need to live a life of desperation and confusion. Yes, you do have the ability to find meaning in your life and the unique skills to fulfill that meaning. You're an important link in a chain of generations past. You have a legacy worth preserving and a future worth fighting for.'
A true leader shows us that our world is, indeed, heading somewhere and that we control its movement. That we need not be at the mercy of personal prejudices or prevailing political winds. That none of us is subservient to history or nature. That we are history and nature. That we can rid the world of war and hate and ignorance ― obliterate the borders that separate race from race and rich from poor.
Still many people have lost faith in contemporary leaders. The solution is not to resign yourself to the sad state of affairs, but to search for and demand a leader of sterling character. The ultimate goal should be to have all the benefits of a democracy and the benefits of a visionary leader.
It's important, especially today, to distinguish between leadership and demagoguery. A demagogue may inspire people, but his motives are impure, and his expectations are unrealistic. It is wise to be a bit skeptical when assessing a leader. Is he truly devoted to his mission or just seeking glory? Is he truly interested in the welfare of others or simply building a flock for his own self-aggrandisement?
A true leader does not seek followers. He wants to teach others how to be leaders. He doesn't want control. He wants Truth. He doesn't impose his leadership on others, nor does he take away anyone's autonomy. He inspires by love, not coercion. When it becomes time to take credit, he makes himself invisible. But he is the first to arrive at a time of need. And he will never shrink away in fear."
Is that too much to ask of our leaders? Perhaps. It sounds very near perfection, and we all know that no one is perfect. But is it a standard by which we should judge our prospective and proclaimed leaders? I think so. This nation, and indeed the whole world, has come to its sorry current condition because we have set our bar too low. We have expected too little. We have excused indiscretions and fabrications as necessary evils. We have demanded selfish objectives for ourselves.
The old axiom is, after all, true. We get the government we deserve. We get the government we vote for. If we want better government, if we want to restore our individual Liberty, if we want true freedom and not the enslavement of government entitlements, then we must first change our expectations. And then based on higher expectations, we must replace our old leaders with a new breed who must be held to a new higher standard ― just as those leaders of old, our Founding Fathers.
Bill Cochrane
Virtue demands honesty and Truth in both public and private affairs. Virtue does not allow duplicity or relative morality. Virtue is based only in Truth and discards anything less. A true and great leader is virtuous. A tyrant is not. What makes a true great leader?
Here I have a source I can call upon to uphold my own views. I will cite an excerpt from Towards a Meaningful Life by Simon Jacobsen: What makes a true great leader?
"In our secular society, we tend to think of a leader as a person who is well-connected or who is powerful or charismatic or wealthy. We judge leaders by what they have. But a true leader should be judged by what he has not: ego, arrogance, and self-interest.
A true leader sees his work as a selfless service towards a higher purpose. As the sages say, 'Leadership is not power and dominance; it is servitude.' That doesn't mean that a leader is weak. He derives great strength from his dedication to a purpose that is greater than himself. Every generation has its Moses ― a leader who inspires absolute trust ― one who is totally dedicated to fulfilling his unique role. He understands and appreciates each person's role in perfecting this world and guides him or her accordingly. He rises above any individual perspective to take a global view, seeing how much each individual person and issue fits into the whole scheme of the contemporary world.
A true leader shakes people from their reverie and tells them: 'No, you don't need to live a life of desperation and confusion. Yes, you do have the ability to find meaning in your life and the unique skills to fulfill that meaning. You're an important link in a chain of generations past. You have a legacy worth preserving and a future worth fighting for.'
A true leader shows us that our world is, indeed, heading somewhere and that we control its movement. That we need not be at the mercy of personal prejudices or prevailing political winds. That none of us is subservient to history or nature. That we are history and nature. That we can rid the world of war and hate and ignorance ― obliterate the borders that separate race from race and rich from poor.
Still many people have lost faith in contemporary leaders. The solution is not to resign yourself to the sad state of affairs, but to search for and demand a leader of sterling character. The ultimate goal should be to have all the benefits of a democracy and the benefits of a visionary leader.
It's important, especially today, to distinguish between leadership and demagoguery. A demagogue may inspire people, but his motives are impure, and his expectations are unrealistic. It is wise to be a bit skeptical when assessing a leader. Is he truly devoted to his mission or just seeking glory? Is he truly interested in the welfare of others or simply building a flock for his own self-aggrandisement?
A true leader does not seek followers. He wants to teach others how to be leaders. He doesn't want control. He wants Truth. He doesn't impose his leadership on others, nor does he take away anyone's autonomy. He inspires by love, not coercion. When it becomes time to take credit, he makes himself invisible. But he is the first to arrive at a time of need. And he will never shrink away in fear."
Is that too much to ask of our leaders? Perhaps. It sounds very near perfection, and we all know that no one is perfect. But is it a standard by which we should judge our prospective and proclaimed leaders? I think so. This nation, and indeed the whole world, has come to its sorry current condition because we have set our bar too low. We have expected too little. We have excused indiscretions and fabrications as necessary evils. We have demanded selfish objectives for ourselves.
The old axiom is, after all, true. We get the government we deserve. We get the government we vote for. If we want better government, if we want to restore our individual Liberty, if we want true freedom and not the enslavement of government entitlements, then we must first change our expectations. And then based on higher expectations, we must replace our old leaders with a new breed who must be held to a new higher standard ― just as those leaders of old, our Founding Fathers.
Bill Cochrane
