Only a few win the Medal of Honor
. Great courage is rare. Many people manage and administer but only a tiny few actually lead. Leaders set the example. Leaders are risk takers. Leaders have courage of conviction and thought. They have what is known as "intestinal fortitude" and “morale courage.” That’s why they are rare and are always admired. Real leaders are heroes.
Many managers and administrators retreat from risk. It happens all the time. They fear risk so much that they often find or devise intricate ways to hide and avoid risk. Cowardly mangers and administrators fear subordinate "risk takers" so much that they often try to harm them, to get rid of them. Hence, real cowards fear real leaders.
Cowards always pass the buck. If a coward is in charge and you take away the cowards title you will find little left of “substance” in him or her. Coward’s are never heroes. They run from controversy and risk while allowing others to take up the challenge. Cowards know right from wrong but refuse to take a stand for that which is obviously “right” or “correct.” They avoid all controversy regardless of the merits of the position or cause. Being right or "doing the right thing" means nothing to a coward if it involves any manner of risk.
Very often the issues that are most important are fraught with risk. That is why these issues are so often left unattended. It is why people needlessly suffer, sometimes for generations. Cowards interfere with progress and justice. Some people are genuinely fearful but courage involves overcoming fear; facing fear and still moving forward. That takes leadership. Cowards can’t do this and real leaders/hero’s can. Far too often cowards are also bad people. If you put a coward in charge of anything good people will always suffer because of it.
Everyone is looking for and waiting for a leader to emerge. They want the “right thing” to be done but too often they refuse to do the right thing themselves. Doing the right thing would take the kind of courage they woefully lack. So, they wait and wait some more until a real leader emerges.
Cowards love heroes. They wish could be just like them. Everyone is given ample opportunity on numerous occasions in their lives to behave courageously. Hence, cowards can not rightly claim that they never had the opportunity to show genuine courage, to do something, anything that was even a little bit brave.
Cowards are the first in line to reap the benefits earned for them by the real heroes they secretly admire. They are also among the last to express gratitude for the benefits and rights they themselves did nothing to earn. Cowards always take this for granted. They view it as an “entitlement” that is not worthy even of sincere expressions of generosity. Not even if the price was paid with the blood of heroes.
Cowards always find a “politically correct” reason or other “excuse” for not doing anything that involves personal bravery or moral courage. Many of our nations leaders today were former draft dodgers. I am not referring to those who for medical reasons could not serve or those who opted to serve in the Peace Corps or journalist corps where they were often placed in harms way. I would also exclude those who served in the National Guard or as policemen and firefighters which are professions that often include acts of bravery. Nor am I refereeing to the legitimate students who were finishing their schooling but not using their education expressly to avoid military service.
The professional students, those who had the money (usually their rich parent’s money) to remain in school for years without ever graduating, certainly do count as “draft dodgers.” Draft dodgers were honest–to-God no kidding cowards. They were not conscientious objectors. They weren’t against the war; they were just against serving in the war themselves. They didn't want to assume any personal risk. Today, most of these draft dodgers have no problem with war and our all-volunteer military. They are just fine with it as long as they don’t have to serve and they can protect their loved ones from serving. They want their country, their rights, and their freedom to be protected but they would never put themselves at risk to be a part of the force that does the protecting. They are real genuine cowards. They are like those in the Viet Nam era that could not overcome their fear and instead ran or hid.
Some, in wars past, claimed to be conscientious objectors and that is a legitimate reason for not taking up arms. It is not a legitimate reason for failure to serve ones country. I am reminded of the great American hero Desmond Doss. He was a true conscientious objector who, because of his religion, refused to bare arms but did not refuse to serve. He never fired a shot in anger at anyone, not even to protect himself. Yet, he risked his life repeatedly so that others could live. This contentious objector earned the Congressional Medal of Honor for bravery and valor above and beyond the call of duty. He never compromised his religious conscientious objector beliefs, but he still served his country proudly and with enormous courage. So, those who were against the war but did not find other ways to serve have no excuse.
I find it especially amusing how some that ran away to Sweden or Canada to avoid the draft say they “showed courage” by running. That is like saying bad is good. The whole essence of a coward is one who “runs away,” whether it is from fear of being placed in harms way or to avoid the consequences of ones behavior. That is why most criminals are also cowards.
The draft dodgers of the Viet Nam era were and remain cowards to this day. Unfortunately, many of these genuine cowards, because they have advanced degrees, are also in positions of authority. Many have tenured professorships in our nation’s universities. Cowards can be very well educated and are often highly knowledgeable in a wide variety of disciplines. It is smart and wise to get a good education but it does not take any courage to go to college. Hence, cowards can and sometimes do provide a useful service to society. A lot of cowards are smart. They just don't have any courage. You can never count on them if it involves any manner of risk to them personally. They can manage, they can administer, but they can not lead. Our current all volunteer military filled many useful purposes and one primary purpose, even if unintended, is that it has helped some otherwise genuine cowards from having to reveal themselves.
Cowards are almost always jealous of heroes, even though they admire them. Cowards deliberately try to find fault in the hero’s courage to mask their own cowardliness. Cowards are usually liars. They claim to have done things involving courage that never occurred. They are so ashamed of their lack of courage that they invent false “courageous moments” and apply it to themselves to gain credit for something that they absolutely did not do. These are undoubtedly the worst and most pathetic kinds of cowards. These are the guys their wear medals that they never earned or claim to have been involved in secret special operations that only a tiny few of our nations finest would ever qualify for. While living their lies and taking credit for something they did not do, they diminsh the service of those who really did serve and sacrifice. If discovered they should be fully exposed and shunned in shame by society as a whole.
Heroes represent everything the coward wants to be and wishes he or she could be, but is not. Cowards speak loudly and boldly while in safety but are speechless when real courage is needed. Their best efforts are as “behind the scene” cheer leaders. Even then they cheer only in “no risk” safety. The slightest criticism will send cowards in to retreat.
Cowards desperately want to be brave, to be seen as brave, yet they never do anything that is brave. If they ever did and if they ever suffered for it in even a minor way, they then retreated in to cowardly oblivion. Cowards don't know how to pull themselves up, to start over, to prepare themselves for the next battle and to once again be a man or woman of courage.
Cowards could never make it as a leader in a combat or any other dangerous situation. Cowards are the people you watch out for, not the ones you seek out. Nobody wants to follow a coward even though cowardly managers and administrators think of themselves as “leaders.” It’s a paradox. This is why morale courage is nearly a lost trait in the human dimension. We have a lot of cowards and very few people of courage.
The children of cowards never see their parents show morale courage. Hence, they grow to be morale cowards themselves, just like their parents. Cowardice is a modeled behavioral trait as much as it is a part of the human psychology. When risk is involved the children of cowards, like their parents, cower away. Those who still find courage in themselves tend to disrespect their parents. This should come as a surprise. After all, what is there to respect in a coward even if he or she is a close relative?
Cowardice can engulf entire nations. Modern day Mexico is a good example. Illegal immigration can rightly be blamed, at least in some measure, on national cowardice. It is much safer and less risky to illegally cross the U.S. border then to stand against the government corruption that forces Mexicans away from their own country. It is simply not true that all illegal aliens are merely “job seekers.” Some are drug traffickers and escaping criminals. Many more are just running away, trying to escape the poverty imposed on them by a corrupt government. They "cowardly" run away to escape this reality in Mexico. They cowardly refuse to accept any risk in helping to change the awful situation in there own country.
Cowards always want someone else to do their dirty work - to take all the risks for them. It takes great courage to fight a revolution but Mexico will never be right until the Mexican people muster the courage to fight against Mexican governmental corruption, to take back their own country. They must have the courage to do what is “right” in their own country. As long as they remain cowards they are doomed to “run away.”
Running away is what cowards do best. If America were ruled by a king or absolute ruler today it is likely that we would have far too many cowards among us to fight for our own freedom and liberty. If you won’t fight for your own honor, or that of your family, or to end corruption in your own place of employment or injustice in your own community, how could you possibly have the courage to risk your life for the cause of freedom?
By and large teachers are cowards – a lot of them anyway. Certainly some in the teaching profession are brave, some extremely so. Teachers do great things for society and I do not wish to diminish their value which I acknowledge is enormous. But, far too many teachers are cowards. It is a sad reality. No matter how corrupt a school districts administration may be teachers rarely have the morale courage to stand up and fight for what is right? Doubt it? Find a cause that a teacher personally believes in. They are well educated and well read. Teachers have a lot of causes and positions they believe in. Teachers are very opinionated in private. Then ask the teacher to take a stand on the issue. They will encourage others to do so but rarely if ever will teachers do so themselves. They won’t speak up at a school board meeting or even stand next to another teacher, to provide moral support, who does have the courage to speak. They won’t even write a letter to the editor, and sign it. No matter how worthy the cause or how much they stand to gain from the change, teachers almost always submit to their fears. It would take only a little courage to face minor risks but most teachers still retreat from even the tiniest of risks.
The problem with this situation is that most school district administrators come out of the teacher ranks. Hence, teachers often end up working for cowards. It is a systemic problem. Also, students who see so much moral cowardice at home see it all day long in the classroom as well. Kids are smart and very observant. They can tell if a teacher who they often spend more time with then even their parents is a coward. Is it any wonder that we have grown a nation of moral cowards?
This dilemma is also true in most large organizations with the exception of the military services. The military still grows leaders at all ranks and still honors courage. It even rewards it. Displaying “morale courage” and expressing ones opinions and convictions in a forthright manner, not being a “yes man,” was a rated criterion on officer efficiency reports for decades. The military genuinely understands the value of leadership and the morals, ethics, and values that genuine leadership embraces. That is why military leaders are in such demand when they leave the service.
I once heard about a PhD who lost out on a job to a young officer who recently got out of the service. The former officer only had a BA degree but he had considerable military training and experience. He was a “proven leader.” The PhD complained, “What does he have that I don’t have?” The answer was obvious -“everything.” At least everything that mattered. That young former officer was a trained leader and the PhD didn’t have a clue about what leadership even was. He didn’t have an ounce of courage in his whole person.
Government and business in general concentrates on administration and management. Usually they don’t have a clue about how to develop leaders. Some get lucky and find natural leaders who instinctively know what to do. Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Lee Iacocca come to mind. Others include the great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Reverend Billy Graham and a few other mavericks that they wrote books or made movies about. The point is that unless an organization or corporation is blessed with the management of a real genuine leader that organization will always have “people problems.”
Real leaders admire and reward courage. Real leaders inspire and cultivate other leaders. On the other hand, corrupt managers and administrators love cowards. Cowards give them job security. Cowards secure their power. Cowards even serve as their victims while hoping to earn their favor. Cowards can be very dumb even if well educated and their acceptance of “victim status’ is proof of that truth.
There is nothing honorable about being a coward. Men and women of principal can’t possibly be cowards. So, if you know a coward you will also know they are unprincipled and lack honor. Cowards are why despots are allowed to thrive. Real leaders, real hero’s, are the adversaries of dictatorial managers and administrators. If you work for a dictatorial boss you can be fairly sure that inside that boss is a genuine coward. Real leaders don’t lead that way.
If you call cowardly people “cowards” they become defensive and invariably get angry. They are insulted by the truth that defines them. They offer proof only that truth is revealing and that it hurts their own self-images. Deep down cowardly people know they are gutless cowards. Hence, they are ashamed, even fearful that they will be discovered. They want others to respect them, especially their family. But, what is to be respected in a gutless coward?
Never assume that the men or women at the top of any organization are “leaders” until they prove it. There is a considerable likelihood that they are cowardly managers or administrators. You can identify cowards in hurry. First of all, if in a position of authority, cowards will always “direct” because they are incapable of “inspiring.” Giving orders is the only way they know how to use power. Giving a direct order is a last resort for real leaders. For cowards it is their first and often their only choice.
The cowardly leader gains strength solely in their position, title, or rank because they wholly lack strength of character. They can’t “motivate” subordinates because they do not “lead by example.” They know if subordinates did what they did the organization would collapse around them. So, they are fond of the “do as I say, not as I do” management principal which has absolutely noting to do with leadership.
Cowards know that rank has its privileges and they demand it. They just ignore that rank is also supposed to include personal “responsibility” and “accountability.” They conveniently forget that.
Cowardly bosses are the first to bypass and dismiss subordinates who possess morale courage; those who have the courage of their convictions. Cowards absolutely fear “real leaders.” They quickly reward other cowards with promotions. These are the typical “yes men’ and “yes woman” you see in many organizations. Everyone should feel obligated to “do the right thing.”
People who might identify things that are wrong in the organization and that need to be fixed are quickly labeled “disgruntled” by cowards. The process to discredit them and push them out of the organization becomes a high priority with any coward. Cowards crucify “whistle blowers.” That is why we know that many managers and administrators in today’s organizations and corporations are cowards.
More then anything cowards fear personal responsibility and personal accountability. When caught with no escape the coward might reluctantly say something like “I accept full responsibility,” but they never mention consequences. They never resign their post. They always run from accountability, from the consequences of their actions. They run and hide like the genuine cowards that they really are. They almost always leave a terrible mess behind them. The number of destroyed lives that cowards leave in their wake is nothing short of criminal. If you work for a coward I feel very sorry for you.
Cowards want people to stand with them even as they betray courage themselves. They have “friends” that surround them just as fly’s cling to dung. However, ask that friend to take a risk for them and they are left with only an image of themselves. Their friends are just like them. They are cowards looking for heroes. They should not be surprised by this since it is they who created these cowardly slugs they call “friends.”
Cowards in positions of authority may “command loyalty” but they neither earn nor deserve such loyalty. If you surround your self with cowards (i.e., “yes men) you should expect them to desert you when faced with conflict or risk. After all, that is what they see their cowardly bosses do.
Obedience and loyalty is a good and necessary thing in any organization. It is very important to the success of an organization. However, blind loyalty and obedience is wrong. It can also be dangerous. History is filled with thousands of atrocities by people who said they were “just obeying orders,” or just being loyal and obedient subordinates. When loyalty and obedience trumps morals, values, ethics, law, or common sense, it is always wrong.
Cowards call “risk takers’ foolish yet they admire them when they succeed. They even attempt to claim their success as their own, with lies of course. They can be heard saying, “I was with him all the way?” Yet, along the way they were distinctly absent and silent.
When heroes fail (heroes never fail in Gods eyes) cowards are the first to say, “It’s their own fault,” or “I tried to warn them,” or “He/she should never have undertaken that foolish risk.” Yet, they never say that greatness is foolish. Was the brave Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., foolish? What about Gandhi? Indeed, what about Jesus, his apostles, and the martyrs of His church? Their bravery was complete. It was pure. They all sacrificed. They all did the right thing. They knew fear but none of them lacked courage. They will forever be heroes even to the most worthless cowards among us. Their courage should inspire us all.
When have you last shown genuine courage? If it didn’t involve some form of personal risk then it was not courageous. Courage cannot exist without personal risk. How often have you shown courage? When is the last time you stood by someone and actually accepted risk yourself t defend them or a worthy cause? How important is “doing the right thing” to you?
How important are ethics, morals, values and justice to you? Are they important enough to fight for, to take risks for? Are they important enough to make you stop being a coward, if in fact you are a coward? Have you ever given in to your values and convictions because you lacked “moral courage?” If so, how did that make you feel? How do you feel about it now? Were you ashamed? Are you ashamed? If so, there is still hope for you. If not, you are probably a lost soul and a danger to others. It is not heroes but the cowards in our lives that are dangerous.
Unless you have moral courage you will forever be a coward. You will die with many regrets. You will wish that you demonstrated courage and stood for right over wrong, regardless of risk. You will be among the throngs wishing you were one of the heroes when you could have actually been one.
Are you a coward or a hero? Are you a leader? You know the truth. What you don’t know is that so does everyone else. Both heroes and cowards invariably reveal themselves. Think about that. We all know who you are. It's up to you to change if you are a coward.
