Leadership and Integrity-The Measure of A Man

By now you’ve probably heard about the sex scandal involving New York’s Governor Spitzer. The New York Post online reports, that sources are telling them, that he solicited prostitutes for at least 6 years; some sources are saying 10 years, with up to $80,000 spent on the past-time.

Should we care? Yes. Apparently Governor Spitzer is a “holier-than-thou” type, who is disliked by many. Known as “Mr. Clean”, “The Sheriff of Wall Street”, and “Mr. Morality”, he has ferociously gone after those involved in unethical and shady practices. He is known to be ruthless, and is said to have a nasty, out of control temper. He was elected by a landslide, with a promise to “lead by example.” What an example–spending $4,300 on a call-girl named Kristen. As an attorney general, he led investigations into prostitution. There is one word for his actions-hypocrisy.

I believe that what a leader does in his private life profoundly affects his public life. It’s a matter of character, and usually where there is one major transgression, there are also many others.

Spitzer ran on a platform of fighting corruption, and promoting ethics. Described as “arrogant” by many, his actions surely speak louder than his words. He has also been characterized as “self-righteous and unforgiving.” Almost no one is coming to his defense, and almost everyone is demanding his resignation. Republicans in the State Legislature are reported to be considering impeachment hearings if he does not resign. (Word is out that he plans to resign on Wednesday.)

The international sex ring that he was involved with, Emperors Club VIP, was raided by the feds, and its mastermind, Mark Brener, was indicted.  Governor Spitzer’s bank had previously alerted authorities that there were many suspicious wire transfers in his account.  Later, Spitzer was overheard on a wiretap, purchasing the sexual favors of a girl named Kristen.

Leaders are called to integrity and honor. (Or at least they used to be.) They should be examples of good morality and ethics. But that is not true anymore, for political leaders or even church leaders. Scandal after scandal has left us numb.

If you saw the governor’s wife, Silda Spitzer, standing by his side, then you saw a lot of pain on her face. (It hurt to look at her.)  Call me old-fashioned, but commitment and faithfulness means everything to me, and I believe it is still important to the vast majority of people. (They also have three daughters who will be greatly affected by their father’s actions.)

Someday, I am sure that we, as a society, will no longer hold politicians and leaders accountable for immoral and unethical behavior, because that is the direction we are headed. But that will be a very sad day, because character counts. It counts in supremely huge ways that affect all of us. If you want to lead a compromising lifestyle, then don’t be a leader. It’s as simple as that. To me, integrity is the measure of a man…

Sources: http://www.nypost.com/seven/03112008/news/regionalnews/spitzer_has_used_hookers_for_6_years__so_101444.htm?page=1

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03102008/news/regionalnews/spitzer_linked_to_prostitution_ring__rep_101299.htm

http://www.nypost.com/seven/03112008/postopinion/editorials/nys_naked_emperor_101398.htm

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Live The Life You’ve Imagined

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined.

Henry David Thoreau

Maybe it’s because I’m 55, but I’ve done a lot of reflecting lately. Or maybe it’s because I realize that I have already lived over half of my life. For a good part of your life, you never think about dying. You just live. We’ve all heard that the young are invincible. When we’re young, we think we have our whole lives ahead of us. There will be plenty of time to do the things we’ve dreamed of, and plenty of time to make our mark in this world. We have so many dreams, and we are sure that we can achieve every one of them. There are limitless days ahead.

Then one day we wake up, and we are 50–(or 55.) Perhaps we have realized some of our dreams, but some we have put away forever. Why do we do that? Why do we think that dreams can’t come true when we’re older?

Probably because life has made us weary, and disappointment has taught us that you can’t always get what you want. We begin to think that our dreams are impossible, and we wonder why we ever dreamed them in the first place.

But what if we did what Thoreau said, and actually lived the life we have imagined? Finances, circumstances, and responsibilities may threaten to steal our dreams, but we can still dream. Sometimes we may have to modify the dream a little, but we must never let it go.

The Bible tells us that a man’s gift makes room for him. You don’t have to go beating down doors. If God has given you a talent, the doors will open. Sometimes we may have to wait longer than we’d like, but there’s usually a good reason for that.

The first step to making your dreams come true is to believe. Believe that you have a destiny–a plan custom designed for you. Only in finding your purpose can you be fulfilled. Don’t settle for less. If God places a dream in your heart, then He intends for it to come to pass.

Stay faithful right where you are. Small steps will lead you down the right path. Go where your heart leads. Follow your passion. Ask God to show you His purpose for your life, and let your success be a means of helping others. (It’s not all about you anyway.) I believe that we’re given talents and gifts to bring blessings to others, as well as to find fulfillment within ourselves.

Do you have some dreams that are not yet fulfilled? Have you given up on them? Hold on to your dreams, and as Thoreau said, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.” When a door opens, pray about it, and ask God to show you if it will lead you down the path to your destiny. Some open doors are not so obvious. God may be positioning you to meet someone who will be important to the fulfillment of your dream. So never despise the day of small beginnings. God is in control.

If you think you’re too old, remember God can change things in an instant. One connection or one opportunity can change your entire life. Be open to life’s possibilities, and live the life you have imagined…

Please view other articles that I have written here:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/109497/lonnette_harrell.html