I was having a conversation with both my daughters this afternoon, and it was interesting listening to their views. One was all for slapping a man if he pinched her bottom - the other, excuse the pun - was for turning the other cheek, the first time around anyway. That response kind of reflects their characters.
This light-hearted chat was instigated by me telling them that they should never accept being bullied - that is a sure road to the destruction of the soul. Always stand up for yourself but adjust your response to the individual, the seriousness and the occasion.
Then we got onto honesty. It made me very proud that they were both totally aligned on this. They both get it. It's quite simple, of course; honesty builds trust and lies destroy trust.
In turn, this got me on to reflecting on Leaders, Liars and the gullibility of so many people. Why are so many people so gullible? Why are they so accepting of leaders telling lies? Brexit split the UK down the middle - a subject made so much more divisive by the exaggerations and outright lies told by so many, including our current Prime Minister, Borris Johnson.
Of course, the same is true in America with Trump. What is so unbelievable is that so many Americans could possibly have voted for Trump? You would think that any reasonable person with just a modicum of common sense and decency would see right through Trump. But apparently not. There are obviously thousands, neigh, millions of people who, even after witnessing the last four years, will still support this unworthy human being, Trump. But why?
Surely - it has to go to the individual's core value system? Or is it just the "Selfish Gene" coming to the fore? A mistaken Selfish Gene at that.
I fail to understand why or how anyone would trust Prime Minister Johnson or President Trump? They have both consistently exaggerated and lied - and for me anyway, that precludes them from having my trust or support.
But then we are left with the question of alternatives? In the USA there was a convincing alternative in the shape of Jo Biden who was successfully, and perhaps deservedly voted into office.
Without going over old ground, that didn't apply in the last British General Election. There really wasn't a feasible option other than Johnson.
But this highlights a big problem for us; we need good administration with a light touch, but we also need good leadership with some vision, direction and hope, and of course, a requirement of good leadership is to be trusted by those who follow.
Wherever it is that we, as a species, decide we want to get to, we have to be pointing and heading in the right direction - and that takes leadership on a scale we have not yet seen. We have to get better at promoting the right people to lead and possibly, how we choose our leaders.
Rick - Suffolk - UK - 3rd January - 2021
www.ricknotesfromengland.com
Comments