The Challenge of Finding Good Leaders

I don’t know which one is the most interesting in terms of political intrigue, entertainment, or just plain old baffling incredulity. Chicago has a long reputation for political intrigue, along with other cities like Kansas City and New York. Recently, however, the sheer volume of ethical lapses on the part of high government officials from the Empire State is truly impressive. One can look at the governor’s office, the state government, and top congressional personnel and see examples of ethical blight.

Of course New York is not the only state with such problems. Illinois’ gubernatorial problems over the past few years have been legion. The slippery slope of ethics has been greased by layers of intellectual relativism over the years. We have reached a point where it appears that we are ruled by individuals whose guiding light is not an ethical beacon, but legal precedent. The question is not, “Is it ethical?” The question is too often, “Is there a legal loophole?”

Why is it suddenly so difficult to find ethical, courageous leaders who really do live by the code of their ethics, and not the polls of their pundits and handlers? Just when we believe we have heard the paragon of ethics raise a cry against the spiraling vortex of ethical shoddiness, we learn of an unpaid tax bill, or an egregious misstep. And our disappointment grows as we long for sterling character instead of stylish appearances.

Part of the problem is facing us in the mirror. We live in a time of expediency. Rationalizations for ethical imprecision are legion. The wise man said, “The little foxes spoil the vines.” The short-cuts and ethical lapses always operate on the principle of compound interest. A zig and a zag here and there, soon create a crooked line.

It is not my place to condemn anyone until proven guilty. Indeed, it is my place to accord innocence until such time judgment is declared. The horrible irony in all this is deep. The same appeal to relativity works for the crooked criminal as for the sinning saint.

The moral education of too many individuals has been premised on the belief that there are no absolutes. No absolute truth, no absolute values, and no absolute, Sovereign God to whom one is finally accountable. As a college student in the 1960s I read about “situational ethics” “moral relativity,” and that the concept of God was dead. Unfortunately, the pervasive, corrosive impact has eroded the foundations upon which true ethics rest. The casualties are to be seen everywhere.

Grace and peace,
Dave Felter