Leadership

Tonight, the citizens of Canada decide which political party - in particular, which clean-cut White individual - will act as "leader". As I write this, the polls in my time zone are eight minutes from closing, and thus will commence the counting of votes. I need not rehash how I feel about this exercise in futility for which our grandfathers maimed and killed each other; rather I wish to address a burning question in my mind: What makes a leader?

Are these five individuals fit to lead? For me, it's hard to say. I mean, they've paid their dues and taken their lumps during their ascent to the head of their respective parties, and they each have a vision for how our nation ought to conduct itself. They exhibit incredible poise while under the gaze of the media's inquisitive eye, and have the uncanny ability to attract a slew of disciples. But still, I must ask, are they fit to lead? Are their respective visions appropriate for us? In which direction do they wish to lead us?

It is widely accepted that a leader must harbour certain qualities, those exhibited by our five hopefuls. A leader must be the stoic face of the nation, one that exudes an image of resolve, of knowledge, of poise, particularly in pressing times as these. A leader must be the stentorian voice of the nation, ringing through every pair of ears within these borders and beyond, a voice that is unwavering. A leader must have a grand vision for the nation, and a plan to bring said vision into fruition. Most of all, a leader does this while atop his perch, looking down upon the masses. After all, because our leader knows what is best for us, he should be rewarded in kind.

Is that so? Does a leader need to "lead" in the conventional sense? Does a leader need her/his face or voice projected across all the land? I've always espoused the old axiom: Actions speak louder than words. Do we need our faces seen or our voices heard when we act? Need we sit snugly on a throne and preside over a kingdom to act as a benevolent force in our society? Need we recruit more and more devotees to flock to our feet, worshipping the ground upon which we tread, in order to influence the world in which we live? What stops us from facilitating change ourselves? Why wait for a rising phoenix and grab hold of her/his cloak, hoping to be led out of the wilderness, when we are capable of this ourselves?

The time is fast approaching when we finally grow weary of waiting for these so-called "leaders" to whom we traditionally turn, when we realize we do not need a handful of people to decide what's best for us, particularly what we can and cannot do and how our wealth ought to be distributed. Rather than expend our energy complaining about what our "leaders" have or have not been doing for us, we will retain control over these matters. The heads in the assembly over yonder will hem and haw all they want, but they will do nothing for us; fortunately, we will not need their instruction.

This nation of ours can only rely on a single leader for so long; soon, we will be a nation of leaders.