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For any and every would-be leader, the date of December 23, 1783, is a day worth noting, remembering and studying. On that day, in the ultimate act of authentic leadership, General George Washington resigned his commission before the Continental Congress. In one of the few instances in history, the commander of the conquering forces did not assume complete authority, control and power, but instead returned it to the citizens and their representatives.
Washington had access to absolute power. He could have been, and many wanted him to be, king. Many declared him irreplaceable. Most men and women hearing such accolades would listen to that siren song, assume it was a choir of angels, and then begin to believe it and act on it.
We see so many politicians today who have convinced themselves that they are irreplaceable. They assume that the greatest nation in the history of the world would crumble were they to leave their position. George Washington’s genius and source of strength was that his faith was not in himself, but was centered in the people of America. He believed the fate of the country could not, and should not, be placed in the hands of one person – or even a group of elected officials – it was to be forever entrusted to the hands of its citizens.
Over the past several years I have had numerous opportunities to walk through the Capital rotunda in Washington, D.C., late at night. I would always pause and spend a few moments gazing at the majestic painting of General Washington resigning his commission. In the quiet and stillness of the empty rotunda you can hear and sense and know the principles that made Washington an authentic and extraordinary leader.
I also watched with frustration the seemingly never-ending fake fights, false bravado and fear-mongering of far too many members of Congress on both ends of the political spectrum. I was stunned at the absolute lack of authentic leadership and the lengths to which leaders of both parties would go just so that no one could take a hard vote. Far too much time in Washington is spent preserving the status quo of power and convincing the American people that we are too divided as a nation to deal with the challenges we face today. Authentic leaders know that the issues in Congress are usually not about conflict – but are more often about collusion. For example, you cannot get $19 trillion dollars in debt through conflict – you can only get there through collusion. We simply have too many politicians and too few authentic leaders.
George Washington was not perfect; no authentic leader is. However, Washington clearly understood that power is not something to amass, barter with or cling to, nor is it a tool for pursuing political purposes and self-promotion. Authentic power is found in principles and must be used to put forward policies designed to benefit the people who entrust that power to you.
For Sutherland Institute, this is Boyd Matheson. Thanks for engaging.
Boyd Matheson is president of Sutherland Institute.
This post is an edited transcript of the Sutherland Soapbox, a weekly radio commentary aired on several Utah radio stations. The podcast can be found below.
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