different ideas = bad leadership?

So today, President Barack Obama gave a speech to address America’s students. For most kids in school it was their first day and the President wanted to give an address that was aimed for our country’s youth.

With the President’s speech came an uproar of parents and conservatives who felt that the President’s address was wrong and would be trying to ” indoctrinate America’s children to his socialist agenda.” That’s what one republican chairman had to say. So many people couldn’t believe that the President would be speaking to their kids. It’s as if Barack Obama is a child-hater or a leader of genocide, a type of person that has no business talking to our youth. Is he really that bad or is it simply that his ideas may be different from a lot of people in this country?

The quote that bothered me the most was this one from a suburban Colorado mother:

“Thinking about my kids in school having to listen to that just really upsets me…I’m an American. They are Americans, and I don’t feel that’s OK. I feel very scared to be in this country with our leadership right now.”

Here’s an excerpt of what her American child had to listen to today (if she was allowed to):

But at the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world – and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities. Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed. – Barack Obama

How socialistic is that? I mean, showing up to school, paying attention to teachers, or worse listening to your family and other adults? What good conservative wants to do that?

What’s most fearful in our country right now is not the leader sitting in the White House, but the fact that we’ve dismissed a great leader just because his ideas or his policies are different from our own. There isn’t a leader (bad or great) out there who has an 100% approval rate from everyone in the nation. So how is it that Obama’s leadership is being questioned?

The question here is this, is a leader someone who has and can grow influence or is it someone with ideas that match your own?

We can learn a lot from people and especially leaders who are different from us. The problem is, the country is becoming so politically divided, the conversation can’t even start. Obama’s election into the presidency was a huge step in the right direction, but obviously we still have a long way to go.

DISCLAIMER: this is not an endorsement nor disapproval for Barack Obama’s politics or his policies.

Posted in: leadership