| This meme's taken form pretty solidly by now. Nothing we do, no matter what, to include giving our entire Gross National Product to the effected countries, will be enough. A year from now, when the bodies have all been buried and the stench is gone away and the areas are being rebuilt with American money but without American participation because that would offend Muslim sensibilities, it'll be common knowledge that the U.S. kicked in a pittance, for mere form's sake, while the rest of the world, under the far-sighted leadership of the UN, rolled up its sleeve and went to work. You read it here first. |
What makes a great person great? My uncle asked me once, and then volunteered an answer: To act great. You can't lead if you only push. You need to set a good example for people to follow. There will be occasions when only the great ones can make a stand, a lead, and a difference. It is not easy, simple or free. You pay to be great. Stands cost you, setting examples tax you, and leading a crowd requires time, intelligence and effort. You can't be a leader, even by force, if you are selfish. Sometimes you must sacrifice your own interests for those you lead.Not all people are up to it and can afford it, but those who do deserve our utmost love, trust and respect. They earn our loyalty and obedience. They are the best. People recognize greatness when they see it in deeds, more than in words. Even the simple ones can distinguish the great ones from the bullies; the righteous from the false, the selfless from the selfish, those who care for them, and those who only care for themselves. I used to argue that sometimes people could be fooled. Satan has the greatest following. Hitler persuaded his people and led them to disaster. Stalin and Mao pushed them to catastrophe. Castro, Nasser and Saddam fooled and pushed their way to "greatness". Not all great ones are great after all, and there is more than an ideal way to be one.
Uncle was adamant, I thought then: You can fool some people all the time, or all people sometime, but you cannot fool all people all the time. All your examples, Khaled, are of leaders who either stole their status or faked it. History exposed and put them in the black lists of great disasters. My uncle is dead now. I wish he waited a little longer. I wanted to tell him how right he was. Weeks after his departure, tsunami hit and put our great ones on trial. Few proved themselves worthy of greatness; most were caught naked.