Synergy: The sum of the whole is greater than its parts!

We are in the presence of history, with the potential of electing our first African American President or a female vice president; not withstanding are the economic woes we are experiencing. Currently, we are in a recession and if we do not have a significant and drastic change our economy will continue to decline to a depression. So, I am baffled at the developments of talking points and politics as usual when the citizens of our great country are feelings woes like many have seldom experienced and most have only read in history books or heard in stories shared by survivors of the “Great Depression”. What intrigues me the most is the racist epithets that are still looming in the hearts and minds in the most diverse country on the planet. AP-Yahoo News, in partnerships with Stanford University, recently released a study shedding light on the discomforts of some Caucasians to elect an African American man as president; highlighting some six percent. Something has to be done about this and it has to be dealt with now! Humanity has come too far to digress.

Growing up in the south, I witnessed and experienced my fair share of racism. I understand this is a learned behavior and many times developed out of misunderstandings. This does not lend itself towards a singular race of people; this behavior exists within ethic groups, towards genders and sexual preferences, worldviews and political affiliations. The question is when will we rid ourselves of such ignorance and rise beyond our fears to embrace the similarities we all share; such as the ability to care for our families, education, affordable healthcare, and job security…the “American Dream”! How can we truly be, as Ronald Reagan so eloquently stated, “that shining city on a hill” or “the beacon of light” for the rest of the world to follow? The answer is we can’t until we learn how to lead!

In closing, it is essential that we learn to lead by our actions, as well as the content of our character. If we want to provide the opportunity for democracy and human rights it is important we begin with ourselves, families, communities, and country. If you know or hear anyone who is not in sync with our change of leadership, it is time to call them on it! We, as a whole are greater than the sum of the parts; we are synergy.