“With great power comes great responsibility.”
If you have a platform. If you have a position of leadership. If you have a large audience…
Then you have a responsibility.
You have a responsibility to understand the impact of your words and actions.
You have a responsibility to put more thought into how you show up.
Intent, unfortunately, is not enough.
You don’t have to be perfect.
But, your words and actions (and simultaneously your silence and inaction) have consequences.
Our society is going through an exhausting level of emotion. We live in a world where thoughtful discourse is rare. Cancel culture is at an all-time high.
And we as a society and as individuals have this fire to walk through. Sometimes as a leader, sometimes as a follower, and sometimes as an observer.
As the great stoic “philosopher-king” Marcus Aurelius once said, “You are allowed to have no opinion” on things. You don’t have to carry the burden of the world.
I hope for your own sense of purpose, you’ve found what you care about and how you’re going to make an impact. And you’re able to be aware of the rest without sinking into the weight of it all.
Leaders – if you’re going to wade into the fray, do so knowing the weight of your responsibility.
ARTICLE
Jan 31, 2022