{"source_url": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com", "url": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/2020/01/01/who-among-you-will-lead/", "title": "Who among you will lead?", "top_image": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1060044994-1.jpg?w=1024&h=683", "meta_img": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1060044994-1.jpg?w=1024&h=683", "images": ["https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1060044994-1.jpg?w=1024&h=683", "https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/?s=85&d=mm&r=g", "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Asset-1.png", "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Sentinel-fallback-image.jpg"], "movies": [], "text": "As 2019 has ended, what will this new decade bring us? Politically speaking, I expect the presidential election year to be more divisive than any other in recent history. However, this foreboding note is not a call to concede to the toxic political environment, but rather resist it.\n\nThere is no better time than now to begin to re-establish a more unified country. A country of differences, but of mutual respect and leadership.\n\nWe Americans should be in awe of the instrumental figures that led and shaped our great republic at its infancy. Our republic was forged by people like George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, to name just a few. If we examine the birth of our nation and our founding fathers, it is immediately evident that these people were extraordinary. Perhaps the times created the men or maybe the men created the times, or both.\n\nRegardless, they rose above the turbulence because they were leaders.\n\nThe founding fathers were not conventional politicians. Sure, they may have represented their fellow citizens in local counsel, a legislative body or court, but none were considered career politicians during the revolution and the first founding years of the country. They were farmers, inventors, lawyers, and businessmen, first and foremost. They had livelihoods to sacrifice and they put personal wealth on the line. They willfully jeopardized their own safety and that of their families.\n\nSo, in 2020, who among us will lead? Who are the leaders of our time? Where is the George Washington or the John Adams of today? Should we seek them out? Should we try to recruit them to serve? Should we, the electorate, demand more from those we seek to lead us? Should we demand more from ourselves? Should we, the everyday citizens become more involved and more active in our communities, serve on boards, committees, or local office? Perhaps the answer is yes? The writer of this column believes the answer is yes. However, the real question is, what will you do to bring our communities together?\n\nFrom a veteran\u2019s perspective, there is no doubt that the country is in trouble. Trouble because our leaders focus more on what divides us as a people, rather than what makes us the same. Undoubtedly, there is time for us to recover from our societal divide, our deficit and economic gluttony. We can preserve our future while protecting ourselves from threats around the world.\n\nUnfortunately, we have a glut of people seeking office who want elected leadership positions, but for the wrong reasons, such as ego, personal enrichment, power or through pure naivety.\n\nHowever, It was not long ago in our nation\u2019s history that we recruited and sought scientists to get us to the moon. It was a time in which we invested in our future as a people and as a society. It was a time in which we sought to fix the difficult challenges of our time, through compromise and a unified belief that we were making our country better for the common good. For the present and the future.\n\nSo, who amongst us will lead? Who, amid the hustle and bustle of everyday life, is qualified to run our local, state, and federal government? Perhaps it\u2019s a businessman or a community leader? A professor at college?\n\nOr perhaps it is you.\n\nWhoever it is, we need to find them, recruit them and we need to do it soon. Whoever you are, the country and community are calling. As the roaring 20\u2019s descend upon us, we need you. Answer the call.", "keywords": [], "meta_keywords": [""], "tags": ["Hopeful Thinking", "Dream Retriever", "Dear Annie", "Community Conversations", "Ask the Psychic", "Letters to the Editor", "Parent Forward"], "authors": ["John Macdonald"], "publish_date": "Wed Jan  1 00:00:00 2020", "summary": "", "article_html": "", "meta_description": "", "meta_lang": "en", "meta_favicon": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-sentinel-site-icon1.png?w=32", "meta_data": {"application-name": "sentinelandenterprise", "viewport": "width=device-width, initial-scale=1", "msvalidate.01": "4B535F7EB2971D1FCBA5D1D3E3E292C3", "generator": "WordPress 5.3.2", "og": {"type": "article", "title": "Who among you will lead?", "url": "http://www.lowellsun.com/who-among-you-will-lead", "description": "As 2019 has ended, what will this new decade bring us? Politically speaking, I expect the presidential election year to be more divisive than any other in recent history. However, this foreboding n\u2026", "site_name": "Sentinel and Enterprise", "image": {"identifier": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1060044994-1.jpg?w=1024&h=683", "width": 1024, "height": 683}, "locale": "en_US"}, "article": {"published_time": "2020-01-01T06:05:47+00:00", "modified_time": "2020-01-01T06:06:31+00:00"}, "twitter": {"text": {"title": "Who among you will lead?"}, "image": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/GettyImages-1060044994-1.jpg?w=640", "card": "summary_large_image"}, "msapplication-TileImage": "https://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/cropped-sentinel-site-icon1.png?w=270"}, "canonical_link": "http://www.lowellsun.com/who-among-you-will-lead"}