The death of Ronald Reagan is an event of extreme sadness, not only for Republicans or for Americans, but also for the entire world. This man of tremendous controversy who seemed, in his day, to polarize America, has proven to do just the opposite. He did not just unite a country that had stopped believing in itself, he united global superpowers bent on mutual destruction. If you do not remember, I implore you, read a little bit about what the world was like after Watergate, the Vietnam War, and the Iran hostage crisis. Read what America and the world was like, read what the attitudes, feelings and emotions were like. We as a global society had lost the vision of America as a great place. But Reagan still saw America as the world’s ideal; a concept most had forgotten about.
Reagan was by no means the first politician to espouse politically conservative values. Barry Goldwater tried it and got crushed in 1964 by Lyndon Johnson. If these men were so politically similar, why was Ronald Reagan so beloved? Why, on the day of his death, have so many political adversaries come out across the world to praise this former leader’s great works? Simply put, Reagan was a leader who was easy to follow.
To be a great leader it is important to remember, people must want to follow you. A leader without followers is merely going for a walk. When you have such an opportunity, don’t forget what Mr. Reagan taught us. While details are important, don’t lose the forest for the trees. If you become so obsessed with the minutia, you will lose the big picture and that cannot be ignored. Secondly, have courage of convictions. Many people in life are all too eager to point out what is wrong. Don’t let those people knock you off stride. A leader needs to be strong and stand up to his challengers. If he is right, history will justify his toughness, and if he is wrong, he will not have a strong enough following to carry the day. That feeds into a third reason and the major reason for Reagan’s success. People want to listen to the positive and charismatic leader.
Ronald Reagan knew that life had its challenges. Born to an alcoholic, abusive father Reagan did not have an easy childhood. But instead of obsessing on his challenges, he looked forward to the brighter day and more importantly, learned how to effect the changes he dreamed about. When Reagan ran for president in 1979, many people across the globe were writing America’s epitaph. Even American society was starting to think that our form of government could not maintain itself because the job of president is too big for one person. Then comes Ronald Reagan, a dreamer by many accounts, a man who should be retired, not running for president. And then he goes and wins…twice! Both times, the victories are by wide margins.
Reagan, if you study his writings, was a brilliant writer and communicator. But his message was simple. If you trust people to do what is best for themselves, more often than not, they will do it. More eloquently stated, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” It was this idealistic belief, coupled with his blind following of a moral compass that led to changing of modern global politics…the falling of the Berlin Wall, and in turn, the end of the threat of Communism. Reagan’s ‘cowboy attitude’ effectively ended the Cold War, a war that had several generations fearing for their own lives. Reagan’s actions trumped the skill of men like Lincoln, Washington, and Roosevelt. All were great men and great presidents who made America a better and safer country to live in. Reagan did the same thing for the world.
e do have worries today. The world is not perfect, and it never will be. But if we can focus on electing men and women of vision, who are not governed by public opinion polls, but by their duty to America and its citizens, America and the world would be far better off. Like it or not, America is the world’s superpower. We have earned that title, and we must respect the power and responsibility that goes with such a title.
America is the city on the hill, and just as Mr. Reagan said, America has not seen its best days because they have yet to come. Thank you President Reagan for doing your part through good will, good spirits, and good laughter to make America the shining city on the hill.