It's easy to point a finger to criticize someone or tell someone what they should be doing, but it's much more difficult to own your own challenges and work towards fixing those problems or meeting that potential.
I think of this as I point a finger at President Trump. I know what a big job it is to lead the country, and I've thought a lot about my critique. Yet, we can't stay silent in the face of his lies, exaggeration, shaming, blaming, name calling, and blaming the victim--these actions take everyone of us down rather than building our country up--it's evidence of poor character and lost potential. We don't have to stay satisfied with a President who does not demonstrate the character, creativity, collaboration, and intelligence to do the job well. A good President should display the best of character, creativity, collaboration, and intelligence--that individual should display character traits we want to emulate, traits that everyone looks up to and hopes to follow. President Trump sadly is a weak leader who is not good for our country.
While, for many reasons, I do not have the superior traits to be in such a leadership position, I do have the responsibility to be the best of whom I can be. I have a responsibility to continually hone my craft to teach and parent well and to contribute to the greater community in ways that I am able. So while I may point a finger at some who have displayed poor character and have obstructed the good work possible, I am also aware that I have work to do to better who I am and what I do in my spheres of responsibility and living. It's easy to deny your potential for betterment, and the work that takes since the work is often difficult, challenging, and filled with potential error and mistakes, but nevertheless, if we spend some time every day working to remedy our weak spots, we'll likely become better and stronger.
As I think about shoring up my weak sides, I want to also think about the students I teach who face great challenges and how my hard work may give me insights to coaching them ahead. As we know some young children face enormous challenges from early on. If well schooled and coached, those students become very strong and capable adults who bring the world amazing fortitude, gifts, examples, and capacity. Early struggle often translates to later strength when well coached.
Hence in the days ahead, I'll coach myself with regard to my weak points--the challenges that are easy to avoid or pretend that they don't exist. It's a good time to do that. I may continue to point a finger at the inhumanity that President Trump and many of his cronies and family members display because I do believe we can be a kinder, more intelligent, and forward thinking nation--a nation that sees diversity as the strength it is and a nation that looks to be strengths-based rather than a nation that steps on the little guy, demeans hard working people just because they may have a different point of view, and works against positive international relations. If Trump has given us anything, it's been the chance to reflect on what it means to lead well and do right--his poor example has raised people's awareness that we need to stand up, speak out, and work for humane, forward thinking betterment in our lives at home, at work, in the community, as a nation and as a world. We can do better, but that betterment requires hard work--work that we have to embrace to make gains. Onward.
