Inspiration

Discernment # 5 – Leadership

An African proverb says “He who thinks he is leading, and has no one following him is only taking a walk!” Leadership is not a given and must be earned. You earn the ability to lead via respect. Respect is a characteristic those who concentrate on the welfare and success of all people and things. Those impersonating leadership will soon be walking alone. You may get people listening to you and believing that you are giving them an opportunity to succeed. Those using the magician’s sleight of hand, to promote their own agenda, ultimately will be just taking a walk.

People006

Fear and simple solutions are easy prey. True leadership is those who inspire, empower, and challenge people to make a difference. It is only when many come together that progress and solutions are foundation building towards a solid future. False prophets are those who claim to have all the answers. Those who claim they along are the solution. This is your clue that they are not real, and watch your wallet. Bluster, shouting, and demeaning are shabby ways to inflame insecurity. This is what the con man does. Gets you to look the other way while he steals all you have. Most of all he steals your dignity and self-respect.

In a complex 24/7 world it takes many hands to create essential forward progress. African proverbs also say “a single bracelet does not jingle” and that “sticks in a bundle are unbreakable”.

October 19, 2016

Pax Interruptus 1

Pax Interruptus Introduction

Civilization swings between dark ages and ages of enlightenment. History always repeats itself in patterns of decline and enlightenment.

When our focus is on enlightenment, peace exists due to a concentration of energy towards beneficial progress. When our focus is soley on economic and personal success, society dips into decline and turmoil.Is the natural order of these periods of turmoil the symptoms of socio-economic transformations? People love comfort and routine. As science and technology advance, each generation must absorb the shock and find ways to restore their balance. The pace of the technological tsunami of the last fifty years makes assimilation difficult. When global difficulties upset the status quo, it requires intuitional leadership to overcome. Leaders must provide the direction and assistance for successful transition to new realities. These times call for innovation and strong individuals. Leaders are among us in every walk of life, the known and unknown.History is replete with heroic individuals coming to the challenge of the times to give humanity the direction necessary to overcome the decline into darkness.

Heroic characteristics depend on an individual’s understanding of the situation. In order to understand you must be in the mainstream of the moment. When you are isolated, you cannot hope to solve, much less, define the way to move forward. Leaders spot the change, and identify the moments, the tipping points, when the change becomes unhealthy. Leaders who are immune to the changes, will never be able to take the actions necessary to redirect the ship towards the safe harbor. We each have the potential to captain the ship. Rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic may seem like action, but it did not remove the ship from its path towards the iceberg. Let us face each day with the awareness of those small opportunities that lead us to responsible action towards a Pax age of enlightenment.

May 22, 2013

Leaving Kigali, you enter a world that suddenly changes your perspective and brings you in contact with transformative images and events. The symbiotic relationship between the land and the people is basic to gaining a perspective for why people have such a deep love for this country.

The land and its people inspire a sense of mystery and wonder. Outside of the city, walking is the primary mode of transportation. Single file, along side the main roads, thousands of people going to and fro. Children traveling to school and home are laughing and teasing. Men and women are carrying merchandise upon their heads. This everyday occurrence is similar to prestigious ballet in the sense of movement. I once observed two men chatting and laughing while balancing large lumber on their heads. When the men laughed, the six-foot length lumber swung gently up and down. Travelers’ passing by anticipating these moves; bobbed up and down dipping under the boards, continuing their journey. All while carrying items on their heads.

Roadside food stands; village centers, and markets make available the goods for daily needs. In each of these market places you will find anything, you want. From toothpaste to livestock it is almost too much to take in.

Let me retreat to writing about my impressions by separating the whole into parts. The Rwanda landscape.

The countryside and the landscape overwhelm your senses with the beauty of elevation and twisting roads, patchwork valleys that climb up its Thousand Hills. In this visit, I focus on the landscapes. Sharing with you a sense of moving beyond a static vision, it is a constant encounter with changing views and envisions the perspective of a Garden of Eden. The pictures represent the western side of the country. Northwest of Kigali is where you find the Virunga Volcanoes home for the Mountain Gorillas. In the southwest of the country is the Nyungwe National Park.