|
 |
Welcome to the December 2007 edition of the LeadAmerica Alumni Newsletter!
We Have
To Recognize Every act of kindness - true kindness - is an act of reciprocity. In my book, The Hidden Costs, I ask readers to reflect on how they came into the world and to realize that at this point of birth and helplessness - the greater parts of which cannot be remembered by us, nor recalled by our parents - if we fail to act out of gratitude in recognition of all that was done for us, then our kindness will hover at an unsustainable secondary level of intention; lacking reciprocity as our kindness will not have emerged from a recognition of kindness. This recognition, engaged rightly, takes us constantly upon a reflective and comparative tour of the many sacrifices and burdens borne on our behalf - the effects of which brought us to our current state. As you can see, these matters can become complex. However, I shall end with a little story about recognizing kindness. A beggar once
found himself in the dead of winter,
peering through the windows of a king’s palace, gazing at a vast
feast. Catching the beggar at the window,
the king’s guards dragged him to
the King in front of all the guests. The
beggar pleaded with the King to spare him,
saying he was hungry and had so little
opportunity to experience the good life.
The King, feeling compassion for the beggar,
recalled his chefs from bed and instructed
them to cook a great meal for the beggar
and to include the finest wines and fruit
to sweeten the beggar’s enjoyment.
Additionally, he summoned his tailors to
enrobe the beggar in the finest garments
and provided a large musical ensemble to
satisfy to beggar’s entertainment
request. What is the reason for the King’s reaction? The beggar failed to recognize all that was done on his behalf - of course clever readers will say that if the King ran his kingdom properly, there would be no beggars. That is not quite true. But let us leave that for now. The real issue is he failed to recognize that so much was done for him, and could not be expected to reciprocate to the extent that he should. Therefore, I assert with confidence that acts of kindness, not resting on this foundation, are largely arbitrary, or based upon guilt or habit or done with ulterior motives to achieve some desired end. We must reflect daily on the multiple instances of unnoticeable kindness which protect us and enhances our lives. These acts are in many ways unnoticeable because we cannot always know what lessons - hidden in the recesses of our memories – motivate us, and therefore cannot recall what sacrifices of time or patience or longsuffering were undertaken to impart such lessons to us. However, recognizing that these sacrifices exist, we are able to act out of that recognition and enter a new threshold of kindness which rests upon an originating and sustainable ethic. What is profound about this, is that this mode of grounded kindness teaches us how to behave, how to show gratitude, gives reason to be courageous, instructs in a constant humility, and imbues unteachable wisdom so that we may find cause to be kind to others thereby giving them reasons to reflect and to cultivate a truly kind spirit as well. * The above Pathmarks article was reprinted from the February 2007 edition of the Alumni Newsletter. New Pathmarks articles will be available in the upcoming months
FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK The Three “Nevers Roger Bannister’s record breaking experience tells us: never settle. Those words are paralleled by the “D” for Diligence (“never, ever give up”) in the LeadAmerica Way. The circumstances surrounding the four minute mile shout out two other skills for life: never take the easy route and never lose your focus. Similarly, these life skills are best identified by the “I” for Integrity (“doing what’s right all the time”) found in the LeadAmerica Way. Let’s take a look at how these life skills unfolded in Roger Bannister’s story: Bannister discovered his gift for running at age 17 while attending Oxford University. He was such a natural that ‘wins’ came effortlessly with little practice. As his competition grew more intense, Roger rested on his laurels, neglecting to practice regularly (Diligence). (A similar lack of diligence would be settling for an easy “B” rather than work for an “A”. A dangerous habit is cultivated with the mindset of settling!) In 1948, Roger Bannister was selected as an Olympic possible but declined. He continued to run, but with lackadaisical practice patterns and he placed third in an 800 meter race held in 1950. With disciplined training following that race however, his natural abilities made him seem invincible. A great run of wins followed the efforts he put into training and consequently Roger found himself in the 1952 Olympics. Old habits die hard however and the “take it easy” attitude prevailed - instead of doing what’s right all the time - and practices were sparse. Bannister did not even place for a medal. Very discouraged, Roger contemplated giving up running all together, but then decided on a new goal: To be the first man to finish a mile in under four minutes. The historic event took place May 6, 1954; Bannister’s time was 3 min 59.4 seconds! Other runners followed suit that year and an Australian runner, John Landy completed the mile in 3 min 58 seconds. Bannister and Landy raced in August of 1954; the race was promoted as the “miracle mile” because the current record holders were among the men competing. What happened towards the finish of that historic race serves as our last life-skill: never lose your focus. Landy led for most of the race but was overtaken on the last bend by Bannister. Landy looked over his left shoulder to assess the distance of his lead. That millisecond of a turn cost Landy the race as Bannister burst passed him on the right! Life resembles this story in so many ways. We must never refuse a challenge because it does not come easy or we have been told it can not be done. Moreover, once the race of that challenge has begun we must maintain the pace, never looking back.
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." At only 27 words long, including some very curious punctuation, the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has fueled fierce debate throughout American history. Just last month, the United States Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in a case focusing on Washington, DC’s strong restrictions on firearms, the strictest ban in the country. Along with cities such as Los Angeles and New York, Washington, DC has had a long-standing ban on handgun ownership and strict regulations on rifles and shotguns. Supporters of the ban point to the already high-level of gun violence in these cities and suggest it would only increase if handguns were readily available to the public. They argue that the 2nd Amendment only protects a “collective right” to firearms in the framework of a state militia guarding against government oppression. As District residents are presumably not facing the threat of a tyrannical mayor or genocidal city council, there is no need to have a citizenry armed to the teeth. Opponents of the ban utilize a strong constitutional argument as well. They offer that while some of the wording may be confusing, the Amendment clearly states that “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Some even argue that increased gun ownership would decrease violent crime, as potential assailants would think twice before attacking a victim that might be armed. From a fundamental standpoint, short of further amending the constitution (as was the case with universal suffrage and Prohibition), the government has no right to ban firearms in direct violation of the 2nd Amendment. Both sides of the debate raise excellent questions, and the Supreme Court’s decision will set a precedent that will reach well beyond Washington, DC. Also, the timeline for hearing the case will likely coincide with the run up to the 2008 Presidential election, so we can expect candidates to address the issue at length. We want to know what you think! Do local governments have the right to restrict gun ownership within their borders? Yes? No? Maybe? To cast your vote on the LeadAmerica online poll and view last month’s poll results, visit www.lead-america.org/alumni. For more information
on the upcoming debate, read this Washington
Post article.
STUDENT
OF THE MONTH
Healthy
Weight Week – January
21st to January 25th For more information on Healthy Weight Week, visit healthyweightnetwork.com. Martin
Luther King, Jr. Day of Service – January
15th On January 15, 2007, we will celebrate the 21st anniversary of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday, hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country will remember and memorialize Dr. King by participating in service projects in their communities. Together, they will honor King’s legacy of tolerance, peace, and equality by meeting community needs and making the holiday a day on, not a day off. What are you doing this month to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.? For more information on how you can become involved in your community, visit http://www.mlkday.gov/. A
Few Service Project Reminders…
I am excited to announce that LeadAmerica, in partnership with Mount Sinai School of Medicine, will be offering our very first Advanced Medicine: Gateway to Med School program this summer. Offered through LeadAmerica, this distinctive program will provide a curriculum developed and presented by the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, one of the world’s foremost centers for medical and scientific training. This eight day college-immersion program will offer courses and hands-on opportunities corresponding to a four-year medical school experience including the social aspects and competitive atmosphere inherent to a graduate level education. The 2008 Advanced Medicine: Gateway to Med School will take place from Saturday, July 12th through Saturday, July 19th and is currently offered exclusively to LeadAmerica Medicine & Healthcare alumni scholars from the high school graduating Classes of 2007 and 2008. Program space will be extremely limited and selection of candidates will be application-based. If you are interested in receiving further details on this unique opportunity and meet the prerequisites noted above, please send a response to advancedmedicine@lead-america.org with the following information:
¨ Tell me more about the Advanced Medicine: Gateway to Med School program! I’m excited about this opportunity and am interested in learning more. An official Advanced Medicine: Gateway to Med School invitation and application will be sent to qualified candidates beginning in mid-January; selection of candidates will begin as early as February 15, 2008.
BOOKS
IN REVIEW The Essence of Leadership Using short stories, quotations and stunning photography, Mac Anderson provides an intellectual and visual discourse on the values of the type of leadership that is ultimately both successful and significant. These values form what Mac Anderson aptly labels the “essence of leadership”. Some of the values discussed include integrity, an attitude of service, ownership, imagination, commitment, passion and optimism. Anderson links the plethora of values discussed in his book with a common thread. This thread is the belief that excellent leadership is actively developed; it is the effect of the habitual practice of certain values in the life of the leader. Excellent leadership is not accidental; excellent leaders are not born. He notes Aristotle’s famous admonition, “Excellence is not an act... it’s a habit.” Leadership is also a habit and excellent leadership results from the daily commitment to practicing certain values like integrity and optimism. Anderson notes that every great leader that he has known or studied “developed their leadership styles around their personalities and their values, and in the end, their actions are consistent with what they truly believe.” The book ends with a quote by Winston Churchill, the optimistic and tenacious leader of the British during the dark and early years of World War II: “The price of greatness is responsibility”. Anderson’s argument has now come full circle. The habitual practice of values that develops excellent leadership must ultimately result in service.
NOMINATE
A FRIEND! APPLY
FOR A LEADAMERICA
SUMMER INTERNSHIP!* * To be eligible for an internship position with LeadAmerica, applicants must complete one full year of college by June 1st, 2008.
|
||||
 |
||||||
PATHMARKS 
