Joseph L. Kagle, Jr. Peace Essays

“Leadership is the key to peace and it is two-fold: a born attribute and a learned skill. To aspire to something that you are not or coveting what  someone else has is not the path to leadership. To inspire is the key. Without inspirational vision, there are no followers. Of course, blind following only leads to disastrous results, war not peace.”

Crowd's cheers less important than satisfaction of doing your best

The words are "aspire” and "inspire."

To aspire is to wish to be some­one else or to own something which is not now yours. Many commercials employ what ad­vertisers call "inspirational fig­ures."

Little girls want to be Madonna or little boys want to be Michael Jordan. Little people want to be famous figureheads.

It is interesting that Madonna wants to be better or taken seri­ously, so she lobbied to be Evita. The work ethic of Michael Jordan must inspire any boy who wants to grow to be the best "self" that he can be. Martha Graham, the inspiring dancer and teacher of dance, wanted to be a "divine nor­mal," the individual who was in competition with "that person I know I can become."

It's in the giving

In Waco, some aspire to have the wealth of Bernard Rapoport. Instead, they should be inspired by his example to give of them­selves and what they earn.

Mayor Bob Sheehy was an inspiration­al leader of Waco when it needed someone who could show others how to discipline actions with wisdom and common sense. He inspired those around him to work and earn respect. After the Branch Dividian tragedy, it was his inspired leadership that brought together 51 Central Texas communities for the next disaster that might come along.

To be someone who inspires is a gift and a burden. To inspire comes from within. The best of yesterday is only the starting point for today. History points the way but creative genius is what is needed when a new paradigm comes our way.

In the world of achievement, success is a myth. The best indi­viduals inspire but do not ask oth­ers to aspire to be them. There is a false image that if an individual has wealth or power, that person automatically should be a figure to which we aspire. Wealth and power are tools by which commu­nities can be shaped, can create images which inspire each of us to be the best citizen for the best community. Great leaders give “service above self.”

To inspire carries a sense of achievement.

Inner applause

 Helen Hayes said, "Achieve­ment is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by oth­ers and that's nice, too, but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement and forget about success."

As each of us looks at the new year, we should ask: "Am I grow­ing, learning and doing the best that is in me?" If the answer is "Yes," then you can smile an in­ner smile to yourself. Achieve­ment, though, is not just of the mind.

Studs Terkel reminds us: "If a carpenter built a cabin for poets, I think the least the poets owe the carpenter is just three or four one-liners on the wall. A little plaque: “Though we labor with our minds, this place we can re­lax in was built by someone who can work with his hands. And his work is as noble as ours. I think the poet owes something to the guy who builds the cabin for him.”

    What is wonderful about achievement is that it can be shared and can inspire others to achieve something in a different direction. As each of us grows older we may know more about the differ­ence between aspire and inspire, success and achievement. The problem for the young is that they are young. The problem with some senior citizens is that they never learn. But sometimes with years may come experience and learning. As Soren Kierkegard observed: "The problem with life is that we understand it backwards, but we have to live it forwards."

     Therefore, I thank all those in my youth who inspired this gangling boy to find the achieving man inside. I thank all those insti­tutions that hire inspirational leaders and not just inspirational figureheads.

    Look around our own personal world. We have those who achieve and those who inspire. Learn to see what can be borrowed to make our lives rich­er, and never just aspire for suc­cess.  Today, we live in a neighborhood called The Earth.