Obama Showing Courage and Wisdom

I’m a fan of our President.  I voted for him in 2008, and I intend to vote for him again. I believe he’s doing a good job, especially with all that he and the country have had to deal with since he’s been elected.

I’m especially proud of him this week, given his statements in support of  same-sex marriage. I agree with his position: I feel strongly that two adults who love and want to commit their lives to each other; who want to become spouses, should be able to do.

As I’ve watched him come to this decision and share it with the nation, I’m pleased to see both courage and wisdom in it.  Courage in a leader is a blend of toughness, decisiveness, willingness to move past one’s own limitations, humility and resilience.  It involves making difficult business and personal decisions; overcoming fear and risk to act on those decisions; and responding to the outcomes of those decisions in a responsible way.  People need courageous leaders in order to know that someone will make the tough calls and take responsibility for them.

Wisdom is one of the attributes that balances courage: it is the ability to reflect and understand, to grow from that understanding, and to share the insight that arises out of that reflection and growth.  Wisdom is the process of consciously learning from one’s experience, and offering that learning for the benefit of others and of the enterprise. I really liked hearing the President talk about how his own point of view on this issue had evolved over the past few years through knowing and talking with gay and lesbian couples on his staff and in the military, people who loved each other and who wanted to marry – but couldn’t.

You are, of course, welcome to disagree with me – I know politics is a contentious realm, especially these days. But I’m really glad to have a president I respect, one who demonstrates the qualities I most want to see in any leader, but most of all in my country’s leader.