Category Archives: Courage

To Read or Not to Read is better than To Ban or Not to Ban…

23 Friday Sep 2022

Posted by in Actions, Banning Books, Courage, Dr. Seuss, Effective, Freedom, Reading, Value

≈ Leave a comment

Ok… Banned books time…

I’ve had this on my mind for some time now, and I feel it is a good time to discuss it. First, let me say that I do not agree with every book written. Some promote an ideology that I do not agree with, and that’s ok. I have my values and beliefs, and they are mine, not yours. I’m sure I read some books that others do not agree with. But, when we start talking about and actually banning books for people (students), what are we saying?

rd-banned-books

I’m a believer that times do not change; people do. Let’s go back to the banning of Dr. Suess’ books; that’s when I first got my hair messed up. Are we serious? For how long have those books been circulating, sitting on shelves at schools and homes? Then, one day, out of the blue, we are told they contain sensitive material. Why, at one point, did they not, and now, they do? You can read my blog about that here Dr. Seuss, Oh the places you will continue to go…

One of my favorite books is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. To me, the best sentence in the book is the last sentence of chapter 21, “Miss Jean Louise, stand up. Your father’s passin.” spoken by Reverend Sykes (The film does this scene in the book great justice also). I’m not sure what your take is on the book, but the way I see it, this statement, knowing the context (which is always important), brings the respect of two groups of people together. Yet, many schools and community libraries ban To Kill a Mockingbird. 

You can read in a Washington Post article what types of book themes are now the most frequently challenged. To let you know the ten most famous books that are banned, you can go to Writers-House.com. On that list are many classics that I’m sure, like me, you have read. Society will quickly ban a book, but we are not banning TV shows, movies, and music that promote the same overtones and ideologies found in pages of books that have been read over the course of time.

Here’s a final question for thought… does book banning affect our First Amendment rights? While I like the idea of parental oversight regarding reading books in school, flat-out banning books bothers me. I believe it creates a negative effect and divides. We hear all the time that society needs to “get along.” Yes, I agree. However, book banning creates an emotional divide and is another area that separates people. It is almost an idea of the intolerance of tolerance?

Anyway, thanks again for reading my rant. I especially like Marshall Ramsey’s latest picture for the Mississippi Today. I believe he does a great job of showing how we are on the right road, just headed in the wrong direction.

FCD5FEBA-AA0A-4127-B28C-730763473207-scaled

If I don’t want to read what you read, great. If you don’t want to read what I read, great. In the end, you are 100% entitled to your opinion, but you are 0% entitled to tell me what mine should be. As a free-thinking society, we should be able to read what we want to and when we want to.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Leadership Courage Is Imperative

01 Friday Apr 2022

Posted by in Actions, Character, Courage, Culture, Know Your Why, Leader, Leadership, Relationships, Value

≈ 2 Comments

Courage is something that we all hear a lot of nowadays. The courage to speak up, or sometimes for me, the courage not to say something. I have recently thought that courage, like faith or confidence… is courage a thing? Can you have more or less of it? I’m sure you have heard the statement, “You have to have more courage.” Well, I figure you either had it or didn’t; more or less is a non-factor. I will say this, in our society, the courage to do and stand up for the right ideals is needed more than ever.

Every month, I receive the magazine Acts & Facts from the Institute of Creation Research in Dallas, Texas. For March/April, one of the articles was titled Christian Courage Is Imperative.¹ As I read the article, I thought that there are many leaders who need to have courage. In what ways, you ask? That becomes subjective, but in the article there is a section, Biblical Courage: Five Practical Truths (I’ll keep the actual points but will add my thoughts as to how they could pertain to leadership…)

Courage is proportional to preserving what we deeply love. 

Love of self destroys leadership. If we are not willing to love others, how can we ever ask them to believe in the path we want to lead them? 

Courage is proportional to commitment.

Today, our commitment only lasts long enough as long as everything is going well. We see it every day, the waffling of leaders.

Courage is proportional to hope.

A great quote by Napoleon is, “A leader is a dealer in hope.” One ideal that I’m passionate about is that you have to give hope to the people you lead. Small victories here and there, finding ways to foster success.

Courage is inspired by other courageous people.

For me, courage is contagious. This is why it is so important to be around like-minded, kindred-spirit people.

Courage is given as divine enablement.

There are many examples in the Bible where God equips people to be courageous. But… those same people must trust that God will keep his word. I think the same can be said for us as leaders. Are we enabling others to have courage and, at the same time, know that they can trust us to help them?

I really believe you could take these same truths and apply them to any leadership level and use them as a template for the thought of “Leadership Courage Is Imperative.” I see the courage to lead becoming less and less. Those afraid to lead need to see great leaders who model courage. Let that be us…

¹ Guliuzza, R. J. (2022, March/April). Christian courage is imperative. Acts & Facts, 51(2), 4-6. https://www.icr.org/article/christian-courage-          is-imperative/

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

Go Along to Get Along… Not so much…

25 Friday Feb 2022

Posted by in Actions, Authentic, Choice, Courage, Decisions, Insecurity, Leader, Leadership

≈ Leave a comment

Bob Marley wrote a song titled One Love, and one of the lines is… “Let’s get together and feel alright.” Does anyone remember that? Sorry if that is stuck in your head now… Anyway, too often in leadership, that is what is wanted. Leaders are saying, “Let’s get together and say that you agree, and we will all feel alright.” Have you ever been in that conversation? Well, I call that… Go along to get along mentality.

Go along to get along… I found this definition on the internet of this idiom… To conform to general expectations so as not to disrupt or endanger one’s sense of security or belonging or to agree with others or do what they want in order to preserve harmony. Is it the right thing to do? Is it ok for you to speak up if you disagree? Will you be labeled as one of those who does not fall in line? You look around the table, and everyone is in agreement, knowing that half of them are thinking the same thing that you are but unwilling to be “that person.”

I think it boils down to the security or insecurity of the leader and of you as well. Why do we live in a society where we must put our values aside to “keep the peace?” Now, I’ll be the first to say that we should major on the majors and let the minor stuff stay minor. I also believe that we must choose our battles, per se. However, when the line in the sand has to be put on notice… This is where insecure leaders are not welcoming of others’ questions or suggestions and forbid a disagreement, for they feel they are always correct in their own infinite wisdom. They want everyone to go along… Leadership that carries this mantle only wants the “yes” people.

In his first inaugural address, Thomas Jefferson stated, “Every difference of opinion was not and could not be a difference of principle.” But guess what… That is exactly what happens when we set aside our voice when we are asked or sometimes told… go along. Finding value in what we know instead of what we think carries greater leadership responsibility. Truth becomes irrelevant when someone’s personal agenda takes priority. But yet… this is said, “I need you all to go along with this…” Strong, secure leaders put what is right ahead of their personal feelings for the greater good. It takes courage.

I acknowledge that there might be a person and charge that makes the final decision, and that is their prerogative. But when they limit the thoughts of others, they steal what could be. I’m pretty sure I’m not the “go along to get along” person. Are you? There will always be a reason why or why not, and you are the only one who can answer…

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2022 J Clay Norton

Want more Leadership Thoughts? Follow me on… Twitter @thebookchamber or follow the blog directly.

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

United or Divided? (A Re-post)

26 Friday Jun 2020

Posted by in Agenda, Attitude, Change, Character, Conversations, Courage, Crisis, Culture, Expectations, Freedom, Future, Honest, Humility, Inspiration, Integrity, Intentions, Leader, Leadership, Listening, Love, Purpose, Reflection, Relationships, Sincerity, Trust, Understanding, Unity, Value

≈ Leave a comment

For what it is worth, I am not a fan of “reposting” my blogs. However, I am reposting the blog “United or Divided” today. This blog was originally written on January 26, 2018. I believe that leadership stands and transcends time and many other things and ideas as well.

When I wrote the blog the first time, it was written with the idea that we are in a crossroads of education. Now, as a Nation, we are as well. 

Only one sentence I will add for the blog is this…  “We, as people, must find our likeness in Christ for healing to begin and to sustain.” 

I hope you enjoy the re-post.

Below you will find the lyrics to the new song by Christian artist, Mandisa, “Bleed The Same.” The other day I heard it for the first time on KLOVE riding down the road. Like many things, it made me start thinking…

We say this, and we say that, only to get and keep the same results. We say we want more or better, but we do not put the effort in to change. Many times we might even be influenced by others who do not want to change. I/we want to…. I/we wish… I/we… The “want list” just goes on and on.

When it comes to the lives we live, they are the sum collections of thoughts created from experience or instilled as a way of life. However, the funny thing is, we are all in this together. At some point, we must acknowledge that everything in one way or another, affects everything else. The ripple effect might have diminished very small by the time it got to us but rippled it did.

Our world of humanity has its foundations based on morality. Sooner, rather than later, we should all know the difference between right and wrong. Yet we continue to make the same choices that enable our lives to stay the same, while at the same time always wanting more or better. The system can only be blamed so much. The issue becomes that we want the spotlight on others and their faults. We never want to turn the spotlight on ourselves. The last thing we want is for our inadequacies to be shown in the light.

I figure the best way to handle all of this, is to start with me. What am I doing to make it better? The “it” is anything that divides. It is united we stand. Can we (you, I, whoever) choose to work for a greater good? How many times does each of us have that one opportunity to do just that? Actually we have many opportunities.  We just wait on someone else.

As you read the lyrics below, I would dare say that each of us would agree with everything it says. So many solid truths. Whatever change you want, let it start with you. Most of all, let others see it. Go out and prove it. Your essence of leadership does one of the two… it unites or divides.

Go be a great educator and leader today… Our future needs it…

 

Remember… Think Leadership and Be For Others…

©2018 J Clay Norton

©2020 J Clay Norton (edited)

Want more Leadership Thoughts?  Follow me on…

Image result for small facebook icon

Want to share this leadership thought with others? Click on one of the social media sharing buttons below and help spread the good…

If you want to listen to the song, click here:

 

We all bleed the same
We’re more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided

Woke up today
Another headline
Another innocent life is taken
In the name of hatred
So hard to take (hey!)
And if we think that it’s all good
Then we’re mistaken
‘Cause my heart is breaking

Are you left?
Are you right?
Pointing fingers, taking sides
When are we gonna realize?

We all bleed the same
We’re more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided
If we’re gonna fight
Let’s fight for each other
If we’re gonna shout
Let love be the cry
We all bleed the same
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided

Tell me, who are we
To judge someone
By the kind of clothes they’re wearing
Or the color of their skin?

Are you black? (black)
Are you white? (white)
Aren’t we all the same inside? (the same inside)
Father, open our eyes to see!

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
We’re more beautiful when we come together
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided
If we’re gonna fight
Let’s fight for each other (fight for each other!)
If we’re gonna shout
Let love be the cry (be the cry!)
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided

Only love can drive out all the darkness
What are we fighting for?
We were made to carry one another
We were made for more, said
Only love can drive out all the darkness
What are we fighting for? yeah
We were made to carry one another
We were made for more!

We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
We’re more beautiful when we come together (let’s stand united!)
We all bleed the same (we all bleed the same)
So tell me why, tell me why
We’re divided
If we’re gonna fight
Let’s fight for each other (fight for each other!)
If we’re gonna shout
Let love be the cry (be the cry!)
We all bleed the same(we all bleed the same) (bleed the same)
Let’s stand united (let’s stand united)
Let’s stand united!

So Father God, I pray
That our families will come together right now
And seek Your face
You will forgive our sins
And You will heal our incredible land
In the name of the only Savior, Jesus Christ
Amen