Leaderless; not lost

October 2014

"We are all artists. Piecing is our art… to bring beauty into our lives… our real quilting, our real art: making this world piece up right." Sojourner Truth, quoted in Meskimmon 2003, p.43

So, my contention is this: we are entering a leaderless age. I don’t think this is such a bad thing, as our world is far more connected than ever before and access to knowledge invites each one of us to meet needs, wherever we are. Technological advancement has shaped the cartography of interrelated activities. There are greater possibilities for communication between individuals who make up diverse communities all around the world. We can all lead.

Yes, we crave mentorship and support as we stumble across obstacles in the pursuit of why we exist and what we are to do with the time we have been given. We naturally look to others who have gone before. We gravitate towards charismatic individuals and to those in positions of power: those with money or fame or the position to be able to effect change. Sometimes it seems we are swept up in the noise and colour of dominant personalities; those who shape popular culture and make up the rules. Those are the ones we often call our leaders.

I think true leaders are a lot quieter than any of us realise. Those leaders I admire the most have in common selflessness of character manifest in the action of service. Instead of solely relying on direction from political or social or religious leaders we could, each one of us, look to lead through service in our own sphere of influence. We could, each one of us, offer our piece as service in a leaderless age.

 Image: Glass Mountain 1  by Amanda Humphries