For many Americans these appear to be challenging times. For some these may be the most challenging of our lifetime but all generations face their limit conditions towards our evolution and survival. We are a nation of laws. Underneath those laws are enduring policies which survive one generation to the next across political parties and trends. Protecting those policies are unelected civil servants. Government experts, scientists, economists, journalists, financial institutions, police officers, firefighters and on and on. They protect the policies that support our nation of laws. These days it seems they are all under assault or duress. But beyond our laws, policies and civil servant structure there is a code of moral leadership and responsibility that holds it all together and must not fail or our society will collapse. We are all responsible for the resilience of our moral leadership.
For this leadership we must preserve a few critical principles. First reciprocity. There is no trust in our personal, interpersonal, or social currency if there is a lack of mutual respect and benefit.
Secondly, competence and expertise are essential to a functioning world be it in medicine, art, technology or relationships. Second rate produces bad results.
Thirdly, there is the quest for the common good. We all can’t win all the time. Others will seek and achieve advantage at times at our expense. It is the painful groaning of the world to become whole. In time and in turn we must trust we will have our due.
Finally, there is faith. For our culture and society to succeed we must recognize we are not soloists. Communities of hope and belief in a higher power must guide and temper our instincts to have it all now.
More than ever our ultimate challenge is one of moral courage and leadership. It is the bedrock of civilization. For this we will have to answer the call with our best heart.