Where's the courage?

As the American election process draws to a close (thankfully) I have found myself thinking a lot about how hard it seems to be courageous these days. I'm thinking at the moment, of courageousness in public life but that is probably only a reflection of our own individual lives as well.

What am I thinking about? Well, if you read the media coverage, most people are fed-up with political-speak. Perhaps Mr Romney is the worst example but it is hard to find a public figure who is prepared to speak clearly and with integrity about their values on virtually any issue. To hear interviews with almost any politician, is to hear a kind of vapour - almost never a straight, clear answer. 'Tell me sir, in view of this decision, what are likely to be the implications?' 'Well, I am so glad you asked that question. Our party has shown how effective it has been in the past in understanding what the people want so you can be sure, we will do the right thing'. Are we any wiser? Have we learned what are the implications of whatever the decision is? 

Why don't politicians speak clearly and simply? I assume that the reason they do not is that once elected they want to stay elected and so they think they need to please 'the voters'. If previously they had any core values, these pretty much evaporate once elected. It is, in my opinion, one of the downsides of democracy. That Mr Romney and President Obama have spent how many billions of dollars on their campaign ads is scandalous. But it would at least be slightly less scandalous if we were one bit better informed about what they stand for. This essentially also applies to our politicians here in Canada except that they are not permitted to spend so much money.

What I am seeing here is a such a lack of courage to speak the truth that it makes me want to weep for our future. I know it is hard, I know it can be costly to be courageous - as it was for Jesus -but without that, without truth, without integrity, what kind of world are we creating? Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were some world leaders who could say for instance, 'Let's stop speaking about other people or places, as enemies and let's talk together to see if there is a way to peace'. Or perhaps to say, 'I'm not sure what the way forward is, but let's work together - all of us, toward what is the very best we can do'. 

I know why I have lacked courage in the past. I lacked courage because I was afraid; afraid of the consequences of speaking the truth or taking a difficult or unpopular stand. I wasn't ready to pay the price. But then, I look at Jesus - because that is my heritage - and I see a man who with compassion and love, spoke  truth to power and of course, in the end he died for it. But he left us an example of what is possible. His courage made our world a better place.

In many small ways every day is it possible for us to be more courageous and truth-full? Would that then make it easier for our leaders to be so too? Would that then mean we could build a society we could be proud of and in which we could live to our fullest humanity? I believe that to be so. 

I'm going to start today.