Malice or Neglect?

The faces of anguish and helplessness on the victims of Robert Mugabe's "urban cleanup" in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, last June, were like the faces of those seen in Louisiana and Mississippi this past week. Mugabe's "drive out the rubbish" campaign left more than 200,000 people homeless as bulldozers turned the dwellings of Zimbabwe's poorest neighborhoods into piles of rubble. Human rights groups and the international community condemned this aggressive behavior by Mugabe aimed at the poor, his biggest political opponents.

In the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, Americans and the international community were horrified at the human suffering and destruction caused by this natural disaster. Many condemn the government for negligent behavior before, during and after the disaster. In a nation that prides itself as being the most advanced scientifically and culturally, the lack of preventative measures is a shame if not a crime.

Evidence of neglect, of both the environment and the people, reveal a government that did not heed the warnings, nor support the solutions offered, in order to lessen the potential human toll of an immanent catastrophe. On the contrary, the "no child left behind" president made excuses for the slowness of response, telling interviewer Diane Sawyer, "I don't think anyone anticipated the breach of the levees." Others on his team apparently were not aware of the desperate, dehydrated, stranded and dying victims of Katrina. David Brooks, conservative columnist for the New York Times, wrote, "Leaving the poor in New Orleans was the moral equivalent of leaving the injured on the battlefield."

Why compare what a leader of a third world country did out of malice to what leadership did not do in the United States? Both malice and neglect equally cause human suffering, and both are caused by incompetence and selfishness. Both malice and neglect are to be equally condemned when they are the results of official government policy negatively impacting the lives of its citizens. A parent would face criminal prosecution if abuse and endangerment of his or her children were the result of either malice or negligence. Both malice and neglect in those who characterize themselves as "leaders" are dangerous and wrong. They must not be tolerated. The obligation of leadership is to look out for all people who depend upon them and to promote their well-being.

Leaders become selfish when they are using their positions for the benefit of a few at the expense of the rest of the people. They act out of fear, greed and ignorance. These are the bases for malicious and negligent behavior. Poverty and disaster exist because of past wrongs. They still exist because the leaders, and the people who choose them, have failed the test of serving the common good. Poor people challenge our own sense of security and well-being. If we can not open our hearts and meet their needs we have failed as human beings. Our leaders who fail this test do not deserve to lead. Disasters and poverty show us the fragility of existence. Unless a society can create a more secure world for all, we may never feel safe and at peace no matter how wealthy and "advanced" we are.

RELATED ARTICLES and POEM:

While it is easy to find fault with the blunders made by those responsible for relief, it is better if we learn the lessons revealed about leadership so that we choose our leaders more wisely in the future. In keeping with the purpose of "Seeking New Solutions" the following series of articles give critera for leadership (while the focus of the series is on diplomats it is relevant for all leadership):

Five-part series on Leadership

Poem written after the tsunami last December 26th:

"The Wake of Distaster"

Click on the following links to read editorial comments about the impact of Katrina from the New York Times that illustrate the breakdown of leadership and its wide-reaching effects upon our culture and lives. (It is possible that you will need to register in order to read the editorials.) Their opinions do not necessarily reflect the opinions of SNS Press

Maureen Dowd, NY Times, Sept 3, 2005 "The United States of Shame"

Paul Krugman, NY Times, Sept 2, 2005 "The Can't-Do Government"

NY Times Editorial, September 1, 2005 "Waiting for a Leader"

David Brooks, NY Times, September 4, 2005 "The Bursting Point"

 

American Red Cross:
Donate to Hurricane Katrina Relief

Archives 2005 Volumn 4	January: "Standing up for Humanity" February: "The Wake of Disaster" – a poem March: "Unity in Diversity April: "Life is Calling" May: "Entertainment" – a poem June: "Thought and Imagination" part 1 July: "Thought and Imagination" part 2 August: "Imagination and Healing" September: "Malice or Neglect? – Lessons of Katrina" October: "Protecting Children" November: "Intelligent Design or Evolution?" December: "Building with one hand, destroying with the other"
Archives 2006 Volumn 5	January: "Conflict, Harmony, and Integrity" February: "Satyagraha or Soul-force and Political Change" March: "I Know I'm Not Alone - Wisdom of Michael Franti" April: "Human Programming and Conflict Part I" May: "Human Programming and Conflict Part II" June: "Soccer Diplomacy" July: "Sustainable Development is Nature's Way August: "Parallel Universes" September: "The News is not New" October: "Legalizing Torture" November: "Living Without an Enemy" December: "Fast Food is really Slow Food"
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Archives 2010 Volumn 9	January: The Music of Place February: Earthquakes and Other Awakenings March: Sense of Place, Sense of Self, Sense of Humanity April: Why Do People Serve? May: Decentralizing Food and Energy June: Beyond Reading and Writing — Ecological literacy July: Organization or Organism? August: Fear and Cynicism = “Inter-fear-ance” September: Are we afraid of our "Better Angels?" October: Choosing Our Battles November: Meeting the Need December: A Living Canvas