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Recognizing Greatness – If he wanted to project an aura of true greatness, President Obama should practice humility a little more & arrogance & hubris a great deal less
James Sharp / Canada Free Press
Throughout history, great people have come and great people have gone. Like all people, they are born and they die. In the history of mankind, there have been countless people whom others have described as “great”. Greatness is a rather general concept, but the term is typically bestowed upon individuals that have made a positive impact upon the lives of large numbers of people.
Think about all of the famous people that have been described as “great” over the centuries. Some of these individuals were sports figures. No one can dispute the greatness of persons such as baseball player Babe Ruth, football player Jim Brown, tennis player Martina Navratilova, golfer Arnold Palmer, or football coach Vince Lombardi. Arguably, one of the greatest athletes of all time is Muhammad Ali. Perhaps Ali typifies greatness of athleticism – if for no other reason – due to the fact that he called himself “The Greatest”. The thing about Ali is the fact that he was able to back up his claim to greatness; few were able to defeat him in the ring. He was, undeniably, a superior athlete.
Most of the individuals revered as being truly “great” were leaders of people. Over the centuries, in the course of human development, great individuals have made their mark. Few people would argue the greatness of early American statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and William Penn. In modern times, British Prime Ministers Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher have been recognized for their leadership qualities.
One thing that the aforementioned leaders had in common is this: They displayed neither arrogance nor hubris. The characteristic that is common to all people of greatness is that they need not convince others of their greatness. For the truly great, greatness is self-evident.
No discussion of greatness would be complete without including American presidents. Fewer than fifty men over the nation’s 235-year history have been elected president. Arguably, all of these men have had at least some traits which one could describe as “exceptional”; men of mediocrity could not be elected president.
Which brings us to President Barack Obama. In Obama, we have a leader who carries an aura of pompousness about him. The president is frequently photographed with his chin elevated as if, somehow, attempting to exude greatness. This is a pose that was made famous by Italian dictator, Benito Mussolini. An internet search of images of Mussolini will yield many photos of this infamous leader posing with his chin held high in an arrogant fashion. At the 2012 White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 28th, President Obama was captured on film in yet another chin-in-the-air pose (this image from Huffington Post):
His pompousness is further evidenced by then-candidate Obama’s appearance at Invesco Field in Denver, Colorado in 2008. At this event, Obama delivered this speech from a stage adorned with Greek columns. One must ask oneself: Does a person of greatness need to accentuate his opinion of himself by surrounding himself with such grandiose trappings? Few would argue the greatness of Presidents Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy, or Dwight D. Eisenhower. None of these men saw the need to display their power in such a pompous fashion. Citizens looked at the men, not their surroundings (or the height of their chin) to recognize their greatness.
Individuals of true greatness know that greatness is something that is earned. It is an accolade which is bestowed upon a person who has earned it; it is not a quality with which one is born or is somehow entitled. Greatness is like respect: One commands respect; one does not demand it.
If he wanted to project an aura of true greatness, President Obama should practice humility a little more and arrogance and hubris a great deal less.
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James Sharp
Most recent columns James Sharp is a middle-aged, middle-class, middle-management salesman who believes in secure borders and fighting our enemies with a strong military. He also believes in limited government, free markets, and unlimited opportunity and personal liberties for all citizens of the U.S. James can be reached at: [email protected] |
