In light of the tragic events which have now occurred at the Boston Marathon, the United States would be wise to heed the resounding warning of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher who in referring to her own nation, keenly observed that “Unless we change our ways and our direction, our greatness as a nation will soon be a footnote in the history books, a distant memory of an offshore island, lost in the mists of time like Camelot.”
Nearly six decades ago many Americans who were enamored with President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jackie Kennedy, Caroline and John-John -- Affectionately referred to their all too brief tenure in the Whitehouse in the context of “Camelot”.
In the post war era of the mid 50’s and 60’s the every day life of America’s people was safe, secure and prosperous. If something such as Camelot ever existed for the average family, this was the time and this was the place. Wally and Beaver along with the rest of the Baby-Boomer generation grew up experiencing the epitome of personal freedom that today’s young people couldn’t possibly begin to conceive of.
Times have changed… The world has changed… Life as we once knew it has changed. Camelot is no more.
Margaret Thatcher will never pass this way again. She will be sorely missed, as her watch was one of true authentic leadership.
Of all the potential crises that we currently face, the single greatest crisis is the lack of authentic leadership in every arena of our modern society. Simply consider the events of “Leadership Gone Wrong” that have surfaced in just the past week:
Six prominent New York political leaders were arrested for election corruption.
In Cleveland a former Councilwoman and 4 other officials await sentencing on bribery charges.
The U.S. Department of Justice squandered 58 million dollars on extravagant conferences.
The IRS was rebuked for wasting taxpayer dollars on highly questionable video parodies of Gilligan’s Island and Star Trek.
And then… there was the Atlanta public school system "cheating scandal" which resulted in the indictments of 65 school system leaders.
Each one of these events is without question a result of broken leadership. Where there is faulty or inept leadership, companies fail and governments crumble. Simply stated, it’s referred to as “history”. When government officials find themselves incapable of appropriately solving the nation’s problems and in the process fail to adequately protect its citizens… then its leadership has unquestionably failed the people.
At such a juncture, neither an organization nor a country can stand united… it has become fragmented. People summarily fail to agree and consequently fail to act. The inappropriate events and actions listed above are but the tip of the proverbial iceberg. These are the capricious and selfish acts of elected government officials, business executives and civic leaders who abide by a single mantra… Look out for #1.
The United States was forged as a “republic” of the people… by the people… and for the people. The result of leaders who effectively abandon the interest of their citizenry and whose primary focus is the preservation and elevation of self -- Is that the people will ultimately be returned to the state of having to fend for themselves.
It is this writer’s opinion that we are all too fast hurdling toward this crossroad. I encourage you to join with me in praying for our country in accordance with II Chronicles 7:14. May God again bless the U.S.A.
Copyright © 2013 Developing Forward | Thomas H. Swank, CBC | All Rights Reserved
