“Moral certitude isn’t the exclusive posture of the young. But it is an easier one to hold when life hasn’t yet given you sufficient time to leaven idealism with experience, second-guess yourself and learn that the things you once thought were most true aren’t quite so.” From This Decade of Disillusion—Bret Stephens, NYT, 21 12 19
I like this quote for a number of reasons, one being that Stephens doesn’t lay moral certitude solely at the feet of the young. Think about how this applies to “unseasoned” leaders of all ages—people who refuse to learn from past experiences and are convinced that their closed mindedness is serving some good, somehow, somewhere. They are loath to question themselves and they view the world with a very black or white perspective. Stephens’s column is geared to a broad range of things that have impacted society, but if you read it in the context of how these things—things that caused a sense of disillusionment—apply to leadership, I think you’ll find it to be very enlightening and insightful. It’s not a long piece and it’s worth Googling when you have a few moments.
Good luck on your journey!
