Several years ago, I was given a sweet book entitled “The Valley of Vision.” Truth be told, I didn’t totally ‘get it’ right then. Nice alliteration. Neat looking book. But I stumbled at the simple thought of how one was supposed to see from a low lying level of the land.
Down at the lowest point? Seeing life from there? And then it dawned on me…
Only from the bottom are we forced to look up. Only from the lowest levels do we put other people above ourselves, crafting a humble yet healthy respect for other people. We were created to respect one another — without allowing differing opinion or perspective to justify arrogance.
Where does arrogance come from? The person who never looks at life through the valley of vision. Arrogance evolves in the person who must always stand on top, so-to-speak — thus justifying looking down on those below, thinking they always know best.
As I’ve watched the events of the last few days unfold, I’m unsettled by what’s happening… something less than transparency in Benghazi, something conflicting with impartiality by the IRS, and something obviously not just in the actual Justice Department. An accurate account wasn’t shared about Benghazi; the IRS targeted conservative groups leading up to the last presidential election; and the Justice Dept. has been secretly stealing the press’s information. Hence, there are continued reasons for distrust in a growing American government, and those reasons are not rooted in extremism.
When the reputations of solid establishments are pierced by corruption, we crave wisdom; we long for leadership. We long for men and women of integrity to point us to prudent perspective and encourage accountability. We thus long for leaders who humbly exercise the vision gleaned from the valley.
This week concern by the Intramuralist has significantly increased. Similar to the 2 most recent White House occupiers, soon into a second term, a credibility crisis has arisen. The crisis is evident via the questioning and criticism by seemingly likeminded partisans.
Pres. Clinton’s credibility began to crumble with his perceived dishonest response to involvement with Monica Lewinsky. Pres. Bush’s credibility was pierced by his perceived too stoic response to Hurricane Katrina. I say that with no disdain for either leader. The reality is that once a leader’s credibility is damaged, their influence also dissipates. From my limited perspective, the influence of presidents Clinton and Bush began to wane due to their chosen responses. This week we’ve noted the response from Pres. Obama.
Typically, when the events receiving increased publicity are obviously good (i.e. the capture of Bin Laden), we hear a lot of “I”… I did it. I promised. I am responsible. When the events are negative (i.e. the fragile economy), there’s blame casting, distancing, and absolving of individual accountability. When it was unveiled Friday that the IRS has been intentionally targeting groups based on their beliefs, Pres. Obama waited the weekend, then hedged his initial comments on whether or not this was true (even though the IRS had already publicly apologized); and then, while calling the if-true acts “outrageous,” he referred to the IRS as an “independent agency.” The IRS is a bureau of the Treasury Dept., which in turn reports to the Executive Branch; they are not independent. Thus, it appears an attempt to put distance between the agency and administration. Obama is beginning to respond differently, but who will forget Clinton’s wagging finger regarding Lewinsky and Bush’s fly-by pic over New Orleans? The first response is always remembered, for it’s typically not as calculated as the impression management tactics political advisors later recommend.
Friends, I am not suggesting Pres. Obama was personally involved. My point is this… With the not-so-perfect storm of altered Benghazi accounts, biased IRS auditing, and an unjust Justice Dept., we need wise leadership… to take responsibility… to be accountable… to adopt Truman’s bold mantra of “the buck stopping here.” Every CEO is accountable for his business. We thus need leadership that looks at the storm from the valley of vision — meaning instead of finding ways to deflect blame and diffuse controversy, look up; lead us out of this; respect other people as you are motivated only by integrity and truth. Let there be no distancing, hidden political motive, or continued blame.
Only an accountability-accepting response — for both the good and the bad — regardless of direct involvement — demonstrates the humble, effective leadership that keeps one’s credibility from crumbling.
Respectfully,
AR