Let me preface this by saying that if you think I'm "whining about" or protesting the fairness of the outcome of this election, then you are part of the problem. I'm highlighting the fear, anger, and disgust many feel after watching our country elect a President who is objectively racist and capable of committing--and not to mention brag about--sexual assault.
This election cycle brought about a dangerous precedent that I thought was an obvious asset: that a candidate's morality doesn't matter. Policy over morality isn't a new concept, but to eliminate morality from one's qualifications at all is what landed us here, with protests continuing onto day 13 showing no signs of slowing down. It's hard to pinpoint a President who hasn't been morally compromised or hasn't been associated with some sort of scandal, but never have we sunk this low.
Epithets like "Commander in Chief" and "Leader of the Free World" may separate the position from its whole package. Yes, we were voting for the leader of the military and yes, we were voting for an important figure in International Affairs, but it spans to more than that. We needed a domestic role model, and a representative of the American people. We could not have strayed farther from that idea. Morality is what connects a President to their people, and provides the mutual respect that reflects our democratic dynamic. If the president has high moral and ethical standards for the community, he will be more attentive to the people and more concerned with the problems or issues that stand in the way of achieving peace.
In the business world, moral and ethical standards are crucial as well. Companies usually measure success based on how high they profit. In reality, profit does not equal success, in fact, we're in a day and age where nonprofits and success are not mutually exclusive. As the media is becomes more concerned with ethical workplaces, their comments on business leaders are able to implement a significant influence on them. Media is paying less attention to business achievement, and rather focusing on the social responsibility of the company. With that said, a blind trust is not having your kids run the company, a blind trusts cuts off the President from the business completely. A blind trust does not blur the lines of CEO and POTUS.
Ethics matter when other countries look to us for leadership. Ethics matter for the kind of environment we want our children to grow up in, not to mention, endure ourselves.
Moral leadership has nothing to do with status. If we cannot look to the highest office for ethical clarity then we must practice it ourselves. Anyone can be a moral leader: simply do the most good, and we can create the respectful and just environment we so crave at this point in our history.
"Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value."
-Albert Einstein
