General David Petraeus has resigned his position. He was discovered to have been having an extramarital affair. In today's world all this is public and the dirty laundry must be aired. Tarnish has been shown upon his reputation. A failure of moral fiber.
I do not condone this mans actions. It is my belief that this behavior just displays a lack of ,what I call, strength of character. I would not question his abilities as a commander. His leadership in battle has been proven. He has had an exemplary term of service. In the end though he is just a man like many other men. Strengths and weakness. It is unfortunate that he has such a lack of strength in his character.
Today we often speak of heroes. Towering figures in history. Generals and Presidents. In the not to distant past these heroes walked among us. They were men and women like all others. They too had strengths and weakness. The difference was their weakness was not always exposed. The press and the public in general did not discuss such moral issues of character. In some cases these actions weren't exactly condoned, but expected. Their reputations were not tarnished by these lapses in judgement.
I listened to an expert on television explain why these men and women of power often have these flaws. This lady offered the excuse of privilege. Her theory was that they became accustomed to favored status. That they became used to being able to do as they pleased. They became comfortable with operating outside the laws that guide the common man. This lead to their infidelity. She also felt women were attracted to men of power and often perused them. Her theories may be correct, but they are nothing more than excuses. Strength of character is what is lacking. The inability to make a choice. It is my belief that should a married and /or committed person decide to share intimate relations with a partner other than the one they are with, it is their obligation to make that desire known before hand. Have the strength to make that decision. I detest a sneak. Speak with me frankly, face to face.
If you are not willing to do something in the full light of day, you probably shouldn't be doing it. The avoidance of an issue will not resolve that issue. Had the General taken this path would he had resigned ? Probably not. Would the public in general think less of his service ? Doubtful. But now he has shown a lack of strength. A coward sneaking in the shadows. A harsh judgement to be sure, but I believe a judgement he will be tagged with. An inglorious end to a career.
I suppose he will finish writing his biography. He will make the talk show circuit. Perhaps become a motivational speaker. His reputation forever tarnished because of one thing, a lack of courage. Not a lack of courage on the battlefield, but on the field of human dignity and respect. He has a disregard for both.
Yes I know he is just a human being. Subject to flaws like all of us. I have made my mistakes and poor choices in my life. I hold no malice toward this man. I do think that America is looking for heroes. He had a shot but failed the test. I question whether any one can stand the test of today's world. A world where every action you take is scrutinized,analyzed and shown to the world. In some ways I liked it better when certain things were just kept quiet. Moral issues kept separate from the performance of the persons occupation. That is how heroes are preserved.
I do not condone this mans actions. It is my belief that this behavior just displays a lack of ,what I call, strength of character. I would not question his abilities as a commander. His leadership in battle has been proven. He has had an exemplary term of service. In the end though he is just a man like many other men. Strengths and weakness. It is unfortunate that he has such a lack of strength in his character.
Today we often speak of heroes. Towering figures in history. Generals and Presidents. In the not to distant past these heroes walked among us. They were men and women like all others. They too had strengths and weakness. The difference was their weakness was not always exposed. The press and the public in general did not discuss such moral issues of character. In some cases these actions weren't exactly condoned, but expected. Their reputations were not tarnished by these lapses in judgement.
I listened to an expert on television explain why these men and women of power often have these flaws. This lady offered the excuse of privilege. Her theory was that they became accustomed to favored status. That they became used to being able to do as they pleased. They became comfortable with operating outside the laws that guide the common man. This lead to their infidelity. She also felt women were attracted to men of power and often perused them. Her theories may be correct, but they are nothing more than excuses. Strength of character is what is lacking. The inability to make a choice. It is my belief that should a married and /or committed person decide to share intimate relations with a partner other than the one they are with, it is their obligation to make that desire known before hand. Have the strength to make that decision. I detest a sneak. Speak with me frankly, face to face.
If you are not willing to do something in the full light of day, you probably shouldn't be doing it. The avoidance of an issue will not resolve that issue. Had the General taken this path would he had resigned ? Probably not. Would the public in general think less of his service ? Doubtful. But now he has shown a lack of strength. A coward sneaking in the shadows. A harsh judgement to be sure, but I believe a judgement he will be tagged with. An inglorious end to a career.
I suppose he will finish writing his biography. He will make the talk show circuit. Perhaps become a motivational speaker. His reputation forever tarnished because of one thing, a lack of courage. Not a lack of courage on the battlefield, but on the field of human dignity and respect. He has a disregard for both.
Yes I know he is just a human being. Subject to flaws like all of us. I have made my mistakes and poor choices in my life. I hold no malice toward this man. I do think that America is looking for heroes. He had a shot but failed the test. I question whether any one can stand the test of today's world. A world where every action you take is scrutinized,analyzed and shown to the world. In some ways I liked it better when certain things were just kept quiet. Moral issues kept separate from the performance of the persons occupation. That is how heroes are preserved.
So true!
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