RECENT HISTORY
So I was sitting in Barnes and Noble the other day and the person who was sitting at the table before me must have been looking at Time and Newsweek because each magazine was sitting on the window ledge next to the table. Being a person that can be distracted quite easily, I decided to begin flipping through each magazine.
After just a few pages, I realized one thing: the previous few days were some of the most “important” in recent memory. Not for what was discovered or found but rather this world lost. Two of the most influential leaders in the last 30 or so years died. However, the methods of influence were vastly different.
Gerald Ford – here’s a guy who did things with honesty and integrity. Certainly you may question some of his decisions but as I was watching portions of his funeral, you saw nothing but respect for a man who helped change the way government was run. Never elected as a Vice President or even as President, he was man, a husband and a father that will be missed.
Saddam Hussein – the very definition of what a leader should NOT be and do. What he was, was a classic bully. He ruled with fear only but still influenced (or shall I say corrupted) the opinions and thoughts of those living in the Middle East. His weakness exposed when he was captured in what amounts to a rat hole a few weeks before Christmas in 2003.
The world is definitely a different place because of them. There is no doubt that much can be learned from these two individuals. The type of world that each of them wanted was vastly different from each other and the effects of their desires will be felt for a while.
After just a few pages, I realized one thing: the previous few days were some of the most “important” in recent memory. Not for what was discovered or found but rather this world lost. Two of the most influential leaders in the last 30 or so years died. However, the methods of influence were vastly different.
Gerald Ford – here’s a guy who did things with honesty and integrity. Certainly you may question some of his decisions but as I was watching portions of his funeral, you saw nothing but respect for a man who helped change the way government was run. Never elected as a Vice President or even as President, he was man, a husband and a father that will be missed.
Saddam Hussein – the very definition of what a leader should NOT be and do. What he was, was a classic bully. He ruled with fear only but still influenced (or shall I say corrupted) the opinions and thoughts of those living in the Middle East. His weakness exposed when he was captured in what amounts to a rat hole a few weeks before Christmas in 2003.
The world is definitely a different place because of them. There is no doubt that much can be learned from these two individuals. The type of world that each of them wanted was vastly different from each other and the effects of their desires will be felt for a while.
posted by Stephen Hinkel at
11:19 AM
1 Comments:
Hey friend. So I got your voicemail and I'm already back up in GR. Word on the street is that you're coming up to Mars Hill next week though to see DCB. It might be a good time to catch some food and catch up.
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Anonymous, at 7:21 PM
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