I can't turn around without running into an image or story of Cheney and his gun, and every day, the plot sickens. Now we're wondering not just was he drinking, but was he having an affair with the Swiss Miss, Pam Willeford, who was standing at his side when the gun went off. It seems that Willeford, the ambassador to Switzerland and Litchenstein, could be more than his hunting partner, but do I care? No. Do I want to read any more about it? No. Would I like to see the headlines devoted to more pressing concerns? Yes.
I've been thinking a lot about leadership these days and would like, more than anything, for a few good people to stand up and take it. Since I have the floor for a few precious minutes here, I'll take a shot at it. I think a true leader is one who evokes the leadership capacity in everyone s/he communicates with. The point is to forward the action, to provoke a kind of thinking that is useful, original, positive -- that will lead us toward solution and resolution. We are a country making big mistakes and everyone knows it. Our politicians are failing us. Our church leaders are failing us. Our institutions are failing us. And much of this is due to the polarization we're all participating in and perpetuating with the potshots we're taking at the ones in power.
We all have a certain amount of energy. Every day we wake up and have approximately 16 hours to contribute to the creation of American culture. It is not the leaders who shape the contours of the American canvas. It is you and I, your neighbors and my neighbors, your relatives and my relatives, your synagogue and my church, your mosque and my meeting house. What energy we put into the airwaves becomes the life and spirit of this culture. What words we speak, what articles we write, what music we create, what values we hold and act upon -- these are the flour, the sugar, the apples of the American Pie.
Anyone who writes words that anyone else reads has a tremendous power to provoke thought, to evoke spirit, to inspire action. Each of us has a potential for thought leadership, a capacity to turn the rudder of this great Titanic of a nation while we are still afloat. Every blogger has a chance to make a difference, to add light, to spark imaginations, to suggest how it might be if things were working well. Any of us with an audience of any size is a leader in some sense, and the question is: where are you leading people? Our words and our thoughts have an energy, they cause a change in people. They lead people to think and act differently. My question to you is: what are you inspiring? What are you doing with your power? How are people's lives changed by your words? How and what are you contributing to American culture and ultimately, American history?
If you had one week left to live, would you spend time writing about Cheney's hunting escapades or would you choose to leave another kind of legacy? I say let the buckshot stop here. Think bigger. Be a leader. Write to inspire.