When Vaclav Havel died in 2011, tens of thousands of Czech citizens paid their respects. It is rare for a politician to be so loved. Havel was a man of great integrity who spent his life “living the truth” in a society that was “living a lie”.
Nearly a year has passed since I wrote the following text which become part of the back cover for my book The Fragility of Freedom: Why Subsidiarity Matters.
“…the coercive and regularity powers of the state have been captured by sectional interests for their own benefit, leading to corruption in public life and crony capitalism in business. Civil virtues have declined throughout the community with leaders in politics, religion, business and the trade unions often abusing positions of trust.”
Every day I am confronted, in our newspapers and on our TV news and current affairs programs, with more examples of leaders abusing positions of trust. Is it getting worse? Or have I simply become more aware of it?
Where are the leaders of the moral stature of Vaclav Havel today?
Who would you nominate as a leader that your children could look up to?
For more, read my book The Fragility of Freedom: Why Subsidiarity Matters
