We like to believe the greats of history were geniuses, born with something the rest of us lack. But most of the things we appreciate in everyday life were made by people no smarter than you or I. The defining trait is courage. To keep building when you might fail and when most people think you are wrong. Even Winston Churchill spent most of the 1930s mocked and sidelined, his warnings dismissed, before becoming the leader his country turned to in its darkest hour.
Why do we celebrate history’s greats but pick apart the ones living among us? Is there nothing we can learn from the Warren Buffetts, Zuckerbergs, and Elon Musks of the world, the Napoleons of our generation?
I think it makes us uncomfortable. We would have to accept the flaws and characteristics that we don’t like. It is much easier to read a short story in a history book that is regarded as “fact.” We have a hard time putting our opinions aside and recognizing true greatness. Some criticism of these figures is fair. But we manage to study Napoleon seriously without excusing his wars, and we can do the same for the people shaping our world today.
Partly, I believe, it is because we have too much information. We have recorded sound bites and raw thoughts we can judge these people with. Maybe we think they should just keep their mouths shut? Do we really think that if they had the ability to keep their mouths shut, they would persevere under the massive amounts of risk, pressure, and uncertainty they faced? What would we think of Isaac Newton if he appeared on hours’ worth of podcasts?
Who are we to judge them when most of us couldn’t handle a tenth of the pressure and risk they took on? I think the trait that makes them courageous is the same one that gives them the flaws we’re so quick to judge.
So how do we recognize the heroes and heroines of today?
I would distinguish four principal marks:
- Absolute independence of mind, which springs from the ability to think everything through for yourself and to treat whatever is the current consensus on any issue with skepticism.
- Having made up your mind independently, to act resolutely and consistently.
- To ignore or reject everything the media throws at you, provided you remain convinced you are doing right.
- To act with personal courage at all times, regardless of the consequences to yourself.
All history teaches that there is no substitute for courage. It is the noblest and best of all qualities and the one indispensable element in heroism in all its different manifestations.
We should celebrate courage, so that our kids grow up with huge dreams and the courage to tackle anything they set their minds to, even when it’s unpopular or risky.