The need for leadership

 

Last time in our discussion regarding social evolution, we arrived at the understanding that this point in history every human being has the responsibility to contribute to the building of this new global civilization. Another way we can say this is in order to really bring about the amazing amount of change which is needed in today's world, we require Universal Participation. We truly do need a massive amount of human power in order to start making a shift towards a positive direction. How do we direct this collective power? Lets explore after the jump.

As more and more people become engaged in this process of social transformation, a question arises. If we have hundreds, thousands, or even millions of people becoming engaged in this process, where should they direct their energy? When considering this challenge, the question of leadership is one which must be asked. Unfortunately, positions of leadership have been so abused throughout ancient and modern history that generally we do not have a very trusting relationship towards those in positions of authority.

Because of the consistent abuse of positions of authority, there is a general attitude of mistrust and cynicism towards leadership in today's society.

We should discuss now the necessity of leadership and why it must exist. There are a few examples from nature which will help clarify this point. Let us look at light. We now know that light is made up of tiny particles, we can think of them like many billiard balls traveling together. On planet Earth, most of the time when these light particles hit a surface, they do not produce enough heat to create fire. We are not in danger of  becoming seriously injured from walking into the sunlight (there are a few conditions which make people sensitive to light true, here we are talking about the majority of humanity). Maybe you have walked through a forest full of trees on a bright and sunny day. You can see the rays of light hitting many of the surfaces of the tree, and it does not create flame.

Sunlight, if scattered and  unfocused can shine on many trees without causing fire to start.

Now let us see what happens when that same light is focused on a single point. The video below was filmed in southern France at a facility which researches how to use sunlight for industrial purposes.

In the above video, scattered sunlight is reflected off a mirror and focused on one point, producing temperatures of 3500 Celsius and higher.

We can conclude from the above example that when light is scattered and not focused, it is relatively weak. However when many points of light are focused on one area it becomes able to burn through anything on earth. We can now use this example to describe humanity. When the focus of a large group of people is scattered and not in unity, like the billiard balls of light shining in the forest, relatively little energy is produced. However when the energies and actions of a group of people are focused on a single point, as demonstrated in the video above, they become very powerful.

When peoples energies are focused on a single point in unity then they can accomplish much more than when their energies are scattered on many different points. But how to capture that energy? When we release people into the field of action, how do we make sure that their energy becomes channeled in the right direction? To reach a conclusion to this question let us look at another example from nature: water. Water is a very powerful force with much energy. Imagine a large amount of water flowing into a farmer's field, if there is nothing in place to direct the energy and flow of the water, its power is not utilized and it can potentially even become a destructive force.

If water is not guided properly, its energy and force can potentially cause harm to its surroundings.

However, if there is a system in place to properly guide the flow and energy of the water, than it becomes a positive helpful force; it is used to help the crops grow. We can see an example of guiding the force of water in the video below.

Now we can draw some conclusions. In order for enough energy to be created to bring about the massive amount of change needed to heal the world form its current ills, massive amounts of human energy need to be directed at single points of focus. One point of focus might be on how to create a better educational system, another might be how to develop healthcare. Whatever the focus is, we have seen demonstrated above that when we put our energies into a single area, we become very powerful. We can also suggest that if we come together as a large group of unified people, but have no guidance as to where to put our energies, we have the potential to become a destructive force. We need a system in place in order to canalize our energies in the proper direction. Necessary to the canalizing of energies is true leadership. Our book describes a true leader as a person who can "inspire and assist others to undertake noble acts". This capability of becoming a true leader is "achieved through moral development". Let us explore this statement a little further.

If you were asked to create a list of leaders from history that caused negativity, it would not be that difficult. You also could most likely create a list of leaders who brought positivity as well, although it might be hard to make the list as long as the first one. We can also list words that are associated the kind of leadership which we would all agree is not good for humanity today: control, impose, corrupt, arrogant, selfish, dominating, dishonest etc... Now think of some words which we would help describe the type of moral actions which would help "inspire and assist others to undertake noble acts". You may have thought of words such as supportive, loving, reliable, unify, enable, illuminate, facilitate etc...To be inspire others means to give them the desire to want to do something. Inspiration, while necessary is only part of true leadership. To assist others is another part of what it means to be a true leader. One who is inspired, if not assisted can lose the inspiration. 

Gandhiji inspired and assisted thousands of people to peacefully protest for their independence.

What kind of noble acts are we talking about? One noble act is promoting the equality of men and women in our extended family. Another noble act could be giving moral education to the neighborhood children. Nobility describes an action which is of excellent quality, or which is an act which is very high. Let us end with a question to reflect on, there are masses of humanity that are vulnerable today to corrupt leadership, this is largely due to "forces of ignorance". What are some actions that can be done in order to help fix this problem? Please give your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.

In conclusion, leadership is necessary. Without leaders to canalize the energies of the masses of humanity, we will lack the power needed to make change, and have the potential to become a destructive force. The type of leader we need is not one that has traditionally defined leadership, one who is controlling, or dishonest, but rather a true leader who can inspire others to undertake acts of nobility. This true leader develops this capacity through his or her own moral development. Join us soon for a discussion on humanity's transition from adolescence to adulthood.