I am a first-year, and I have just emerged from the pre-college rite of passage: Summer Orientation. I, along with some three hundred other apprehensive first-years, wandered through the Grounds (map in hand), struggled with the SIS system and listened to speech upon speech, all with one resounding theme: LEADERSHIP. We were told that we will develop leadership skills here at the University and will become great leaders – leaders of our communities, of our countries, and of our world.
My question is: Should we really be overusing such a charged (and ambiguous) word as “leader?” After all, it carries a lot of historical baggage. Just translate it into German: führer. Ouch! But more importantly, doesn’t leadership imply some sort of hierarchy: A leader leading the masses. And just who are these masses? The uninformed? Like, say, rising first-years who are yet to dive into the delights of the Academical Village?
So, this brings me to my second point: all this talk of leadership, isn’t it a bit premature? Yes, of course, we want to have strong leaders, but those leaders, first and foremost, must be educated. Should not we hear of leaders and their leadership once we’ve already become accomplished members of a vibrant intellectual community?
I’m afraid that imbibing impressionable 18-year-olds with a drive to leadership breeds power-hungry and aggressive personalities, aiming more at leading than learning. This point is borne out by many recent American politicians who, despite their pitiful understanding of politics, economics, geography or even English grammar, have made it to the top with lightning speed. These leaders milk the strength of their charisma, without nurturing their intellectual abilities to conceive of a viable vision for their district, state, or nation. If there must be speeches, summer orientation should be a time for extolling the virtues of knowledge in the classroom, the mutual support of our peers and the lasting friendships we, the still anxious first-years, are hoping to make. And then, maybe at our graduation, once we are equipped with a healthier and “stronger mind” (to paraphrase Jefferson), the theme of leadership will not sound so hollow.
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