Peace
Leaders
“Vulnerability
is the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, courage, empathy, and
creativity. It is the source of hope, empathy, accountability, and
authenticity. If we want greater clarity in our purpose or deeper and
more meaningful spiritual lives, vulnerability is the path.”
Brene`
Brown (Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms
the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead)
Somewhere along the
way—perhaps when we emerged from caves with clubs in our hands—we
humans decided that in order to survive, we had to best everybody
else. And not in a good way—we had to club them over the head
before they bashed us. Our weapons have changed, but apparently our
attitude has not. The whole idea that real strength is found in
vulnerability is anathema to our way of being in the world. We are at
a crossroad when it comes to deciding if this will also be our
future.
I happen to believe that
we are seeing the rise of “strongmen” leaders around the world so
that we can decide whether we want to continue on the path of
head-bashing, or perhaps entertain a different way of leading.
There's an old saying that Southern mothers tell their girl-children:
“You can attract more bees with honey than with vinegar.”
I think it means that women need to be sweet if they want to attract
the man of their dreams. I wouldn't know about that, but corny as it
is, there is some truth to it. We know that the greatest movements
for change in the human world have been peaceful ones. We understand
that Gandhi, M. L. King Jr., Lech Walesa, Cesar Chavez, Nelson
Mandela, and, yes, Jesus of Nazareth, led by vulnerability. We claim
to honor, respect and even deify them, but we haven't yet bought into
their type of leadership.
Vulnerability is slower
than head-bashing, to be sure. And, it may end the same way, with a
lot of dead people, but it seems to me that if we truly desire a
peaceful world, that peace begins with us. Peaceful people are strong
and vulnerable. They value authenticity, foster creativity, and
support community. They are full of love and that love is contagious.
Sounds all warm and fuzzy and idealistic, doesn't it? But it is, in
fact, strength through grounding—in the moral convictions of their spirituality, and in their dedication to liberty and justice for
all. Isn't that what we pledge?
In the Spirit,
Jane
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