 POWER.
People fight for it, die for it, kill for it. Throughout
the past year, we saw violence in Haiti that was a clash
for power. In the United States, we saw political campaigns
that were sometimes characterized by real exchange on important
issues, but too often marked by cynical manipulation in
pursuit of power via elected office. How can power be used
effectively to lead? Jesus led in a way radically different
from what we most often see in our world today. Jesus
stepped away from being God and, in the words of Paul, “being
found in appearance as a man, [Jesus] humbled himself and
became obedient to death—even death on a cross”
(Philippians 2:8). In this issue of BB-Mail, we ask, “So
then, how should we try to lead?”
Below
are reflections on power and leadership from those well-known
and not.
Have
an Empty Christmas
by Charles Moore
Christmas
makes me nervous. It’s not that I dread the holiday
blues, or worry about spending more than I have. No, Christmas
unnerves me because the Infinite, who came in a feeding
trough, is not the kind of God I want. He is too powerless
for my liking; he’s too much like the person I don’t
want to be, but actually am.
If
I am honest with myself, I despise being powerless. Humility
I could handle, but stark naked vulnerability repulses me.
Throughout the year, both consciously and unconsciously,
I try to maneuver myself into a position of safety, secure
from anything that might go wrong. I want to be in a position
of strength, with power to make things happen, and in so
doing I expend a great deal of energy negotiating my social
space. In countless ways I finagle to protect and expand
the turf I call my own.
Read
the rest of this reflection from Charles Moore.
The
Powerless Are Free to Speak the Truth
by Tony Campolo
The
only people who can affort the luxury of being steadfast
in their convictions are the powerless. The powerless have
nothing to lose. There is nothing that can be taken from
them. Those who don't want power can dare to live and act
in a way that is consistent with their beliefs because there
is nothing to be gained through compromise. That is why
the members of the early church lived with such joyful abandon
in the face of the principalities and powers and rulers
of this world. They had given up power in favor of love
and "perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John 4:18).
Those who do not seek power are the ones who are most free
to speak the truth, even when the truth is unpopular...
From
the book The
Power Delusion, by Tony Campolo
Thoughts
on Power & Leadership from Haitian Leaders in Our Circle
What
gives leadership force is the capacity to help
individuals use their knowledge to help both themselves
and the collective group. This force becomes stronger than
the traditional form of power, because it makes people feel
responsible, which enables them to use their power and act
on their own responsibilities.
Xavier
Abelard, director of an elementary school, Dabòn,
Haiti
Leadership
is the capacity in each of us to question ourselves:
What scares me and what enables me to rise above my fears,
overcome my bad habits, and not be carried away by ego?
Power is the capacity in each of us to transform ourselves.
The more we master our thoughts, words, and deeds, the more
we develop the capacity to transform ourselves. A good leader
acts and decides based on the good of the collective and
is not driven by personal interests.
Bayyinah
Bello, university professor and literacy trainer, Port-au-Prince,
Haiti
Leadership
is the inner power that a person develops to serve
well those around him or her. This power can convene people
and get things done.
Charlotin
Prophete, warehouse manager for World Vision and community
organizer, Lagonav Island, Haiti
Leadership
is the capacity to accompany others in helping
them to discover and realize their dreams. A leader needs
to serve and to know how to open space and create an environment
of mutual respect.
Jude
Appolon, associate of Limyè Lavi, Port-au-Prince,
Haiti
Our
deepest fear is not that we are inadequate-our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our
light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves,
“Who am I to be so brilliant, gorgeous, talented and
fabulous?” Actually, who are you not to be? You are
a child of God; your playing small does not serve this world.
There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other
people won’t feel secure around you. You were born
to manifest the glory of God that is in each of us. It is
not just within some of us-it’s everyone. When we
let our light shine we unconsciously give to other people
permission to do the same thing, as we are liberated from
our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.
Nelson Mandela
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