At 13, I joined millions in reading, Profiles in Courage, by John F. Kennedy & Ted Sorenson. The premise was universal & inspiring: Stick with your principles even if you offend others.

   Naively, I wondered why everyone would not d0 that. As Richard Bach wrote, “Reputation is what people think you are. Character is who you really are."

   Real life is reversed. Most choose popularity & promotion over character. Consider politicians who took logical positions to ban assault weapons & flipped because a crowd booed. 

   When Peter Drucker wrote: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" he meant successful plans face tough going against cultural opposition. The best leaders persist. 

    Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi & Susan B. Anthony anchored their character to buck popular opinion. Each one suffered.

    Too few are the caregivers who paint portraits in courage by refusing doctor's orders they know are wrong & by staff brave enough to report bosses for illegal or unethical behavior.

   It is tough to practice Radical Loving Care^® in the face of certain policies. Awhile back a husband drove to a large-hospital ER. His RN wife was so stricken with chest pain he could not lift her through the door. A nurse grabbed a wheelchair.

   "No, wheelchairs outside the ER entrance!" a manager shouted. 

   Ignoring her, the nurse served the patient. Facing a write-up, the nurse said, "I did what I knew was right."

   We need to know where to draw the line & how to be diplomatic & firm. But how often have we gone along to get ahead & felt pieces of our souls breaking off & floating away?  

-Erie Chapman 

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