Do you think that Obama is the saviour of the Western world, the one who can overcome impending economic collapse and heal the underlying structural damage in society?  Or is the answer to be found in the values and actions of ordinary people?  If so, what type of people are needed?  Read on to find out more.

I believe that government, whilst well meaning, is not the mainspring of the economy or society (not to discount the value of political leadership).  Ordinary people and their actions are what builds community.  If society as it stands is the sum total of what we are like, perhaps we need a different type of person – a more principled, sincere and action focussed individual.

Firstly, we need people who are repelled by violence and misuse of force.  We’ve seen and been horrified by extraordinary renditions, the events at Abu Ghraib, Ruby Ridge and the loss of young lives in war but at the same time we accept violence and force in every day life.  We whitewash it with the argument that the end justifies the means, even when we know that it is wrong.  In our own lives, we exert power against others to further our own ends.

This comes in subtle ways – stupid rules, mindless restrictions, bureaucratic pettiness, workplace bullying and discrimination.  The principle is the same – the school-yard notion that I’m bigger than you, and you’ll do what I say or I’ll punch you in the face.  If we are to heal our nation, we need people who don’t just speak out about atrocities, but refuse to be part of any oppression.  We need those who don’t have to wield power just because they are granted a measure of it.

We need people who are self reliant.  In an age where even business wants government hand outs, there’s something to be said for the person who doesn’t think that the world owes them a living.  The person who is the producer and the entrepreneur rather than the one with their hand open.  The person meeting needs through business rather than being a need themselves.  The self reliant person who solves their own problems rather than expecting government to look after them.

We need those who care about the earth – not in a “protest about the current hot cause and get ourselves on TV” way but in a practical and sincere way.  The person who reaches into their own pocket and invests in solar panels for their own house is worth a lot more than the person who is self righteous about the environment and talks about the good work of the Sierra Club but drives a huge SUV and won’t even spend $10 to replace those power guzzling incandescent bulbs.

The same principle applies to helping the third world.  It is no good holding a sincere belief but refusing to buy the fair trade coffee that actually does something practical to break the cycle of poverty.

We need people who put their money where their mouth is.  The bureaucrat feels good about giving away money that he hasn’t earned, irrespective of whether that it is taken away from the man doing overtime at the factory who is trying to save some money for his daughter’s college.  We don’t need any more government or taxation to fix up the problems, we need people who either will reach into their own pockets and fund what is important to them or keep their mouth shut about poverty.  Put up or shut up.

We need people who will live and let live.  We don’t need those who seek to impose their views on others.  In particular, we don’t need those who attempt to use government, laws, courts and force to push their particular interests (are you listening Christian Right and Liberal Left?).  We need those who are prepared to tolerate those who see things differently or choose a different lifestyle.  As long as they don’t get in our face, we don’t get in theirs.  The person we need is the opposite to the person who thinks its ok to read your mail, tap your phone or intercept your emails.

We need those who have vision, and the drive to make it a reality.  We don’t need those who have vision, but who keep it as castles in the sky, they are only dreamers.  We need those who can face reality rather than put their efforts into denying it.  

We badly need strong business leadership from the front rather than the uninspiring “leaders” who sit back in corporate towers like feudal lords, drawing million dollar bonuses whilst creating pollution, unsafe and insecure employment which is more like wage slavery and then wailing about the economy and asking for taxpayer dollars when their companies manifest the logical conclusion of their lack of leadership skill and vision.

We need those who don’t value their financial situation over liberty.  We need people of principle who can reject jobs that compromise their own ethics and who refuse to be corporate pawns.  As well as badly needing those who will think rather than believe everything the plasma TV says, we need those who will think outside of the box.

Let’s not rely on government to make our society what it should be.  We need to look at ourselves and see whether we are the types of people who should be in a great society.  If not, maybe we need to look at what we believe, and whether we are living it, or simply coasting and expecting someone else to solve all our problems.

Tags: leadership, society, vision

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at 8:16 pm and is filed under Practical freedom. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.