We have outsourced leadership to those who have lost kinship

Unless a leader connects fully and deeply with the community they serve, they are not a leader; they have become a tyrant.

Anything unchallenged will become tyrannical. Unchallenged leaders of banking and finance; unchallenged money in politics; unchallenged celebrity status; unchallenged institutions that were designed to serve…all of these will fall into the pit of tyranny, not in one fell swoop, but one little atrocity at a time.

Indeed, you or I will become a tyrant if we are not challenged or held to account with rigorous love.

Surrounding yourself with a close circle of friends, family, colleagues and coaches, with the explicit intent to keep you from falling towards your own corruption, is a gesture of self-love and high leadership. Doing it from day one of your leadership is wisdom.

Each of us is seduced by various temptations; no one is immune. Rather than rely on the solitary self, wisdom invites allies.

We have outsourced leadership to those who have lost kinship.

Taking back authority from our current tyrannical leaders will require a different approach. Rather than the usual war of weapons or words, let us invite participation to an alternate path.

Calling forth the parts of our tyrant leaders that have been exiled…their buried compassion and care…their love of beauty and the arts…calling these aspects forth will usher in a kinder world.

(originally written in 2014)

December 4th 2018

Photo taken December 10th 2017