For the Greater Good

I spoke with a friend - a fellow history lover - who asked about favorite people. History offers the opportunity to see the triumphs and trials of the great and small alike and the subsequent repercussions. Wisdom is available for the taking.

But his question brought many figures to mind. Our conversation taught me about Mr. Churchill and the two-volume William Manchester series which includes a work called The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill, Alone 1932-1940 chronicling the dark years out of the public eye. I look forward to reading this.

George Washington came to mind, however. As mentioned previously, Washington never commanded my attention because the time period never grabbed me. But David McCullough's portrayal of his leadership in 1776 demands attention for the outstanding leader he was. In fact, his apparent failures and his his grander vision which compelled him in the face of those failures, are a study in leadership.

One incident McCullough records (from memory) involves the criticism of some of his closest generals/advisors. They created an undercurrent of fault-finding and would have led lesser men to quit. Washington mistakenly received letters written to one of these men from another. He read them, thinking they came addressed to him. They did not. The letters contained harsh words directed at Washington and he would have been right to discipline the men or be angry. He was neither. He simply returned the letters to the rightful recipient without a word. The greater good and unity demanded, in Washington's view, to let the issue pass. The greater good and unity - we must weigh carefully the affect of our decisions and responses to perceived wrongs. Washington showed the true meaning of considering the needs of others  (to keep going forward againt the greater enemy - the British) before his own (for vindication). History took care of vindicating General Washington.