History like people can't change
I've been watching the sentencing of this person who shot and killed 51 people at two mosques in New Zealand in 2019.[1] The relatives of the murdered spoke at the sentencing about their loss and grief. Some talked of their hatred of the killer, others forgave him. He sat silently and refused to make a statement. He just didn't care - history like people can’t change.
Anyone who has studied history will know that what happened thousands of years ago still happens today. While at university, I recall my fellow history students expressing their incredulity at how our ancients treated one another. A common theme among the responses of the students when learning about historical crimes, wars, racism, and murder was, “my God, it's still the same today, nothing has changed”.
So, what might change people's attitudes?
Laws do not change people's outlook. For some, it may change their actions through fear of fines or incarceration, but laws do not change people's prejudices.
School education does not change people's underlying bigotries. Societal pressures, the advice of loved ones and friends, does not and has not changed people.
Throughout history, and today, people look towards their leaders for guidance and ethics, and to set the standard for society. When was the last time you heard a leader speak out and voice a moral opinion, or offer guidance well before something devastating has happened?
Our political and social leaders have failed us because they are too busy reacting to situations and covering things up rather than talking to and listening to people. Most of us remember and follow our parents' guidance and rules. Most of us carry these things with us throughout our lives. Our parents are not just parents, they are also leaders. But there are parents who have not taught their children moral lessons.
There are lots of nasty and shabby things about our lives. But what lies at the heart of our problems is that we do not want to know ourselves. We fear ourselves. We hide from others thinking that they will think badly of us if we reveal ourselves. We blame others for our mistakes and our failings; we have always done this.
Most of us have the desire to change, to be a better person and to improve things. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the ability or the tools to achieve that change. This is where a good leader can step in and offer advice.
Almost every political leader throughout history has spent a large part of their life attaining leadership. Political leaders claw and fight for the top job, but when they get there, they do little more than grandstand. They know what it takes to get to be a leader, and again, unfortunately, they don't know how to be leaders. The confidence that we have in our political leadership is as low now as it has ever been. And it's our fault that our political leaders don't have what it takes to guide us. We don't ask enough of our political leaders before we vote them into power.
One thing about history is that we know we can't change it, but we can learn from it. We've seen the effects of past actions upon societies, but continually keep falling into the same traps and repeat history.
Maybe our political leaders haven't studied history, but generally, that is not the case. Many of our leaders have multiple degrees and are highly educated people. Except for a few, most of our leaders lack insight and empathy, yet we voted for them. We voted the problem in.
If our leaders showed some backbone and came out and made statements about how the world can be a better place, and about how we should all treat each other better, that could be the catalyst for change. Our world is led from the top, yet those at the top are not leading. A few well-chosen words of advice, a statement or two on courage, strength and simply doing the right thing would go a long way to help guide people in a better direction.
Politicians think they must be political all the time. They are human, yet they rarely show it. They seldom say how they feel, and they never offer advice. This world needs good and confident leaders. We have enough spokespersons for causes and factions.
A 10-minute pep talk once a week from our leaders about how we can improve things would help solve a lot of problems in this world and give us direction. Just like the series of evening radio addresses that U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave in the 1930s and 1940s.[2] It’s not much to ask to show us that you are as human as we are; we know you can be, show us, help us.
Words are powerful agents of change. Words inspire and lead us into action. Good leaders can change the world with their words. It’s time we heard from our leaders. It’s time they began to help us help ourselves and change society. Then maybe, people like the person who shot and killed all those Muslims in New Zealand might never have turn out the way he did.
[1] BBC, Christchurch shooting: Gunman Tarrant wanted to kill 'as many as possible', https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-53861456
[2] History.com, The Fireside Chats, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fireside_chats
