SPEAKING TRUTH TO POWER MATTERS MORE TODAY

Practice speaking truth to power if you want to get good at it.

Making the sort of change you want to see takes practice.

I use ‘practice’ as a synonym for understanding why truth matters more today.

Why?

Because The Truth has taken a beating lately.

The top image shows David speaking truth to power, then stepping on its head with a bare foot.

Anyone else do that?

I spoke truth to power when I joined the Army and got selected as the leader of my training platoon in boot camp.

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The drill sergeant explained why he chose me:

“You will be one of the most complete soldiers in the new Army. I will help you find your way through the difficulties and hurdles. You will attend leadership school, get tutored, and learn how to lead.”

Sound like a plan?

“For this fortunate privilege you’ll need to extend your enlistment from two to four years, then I believe you’ll rise in the All Volunteer Army.”

The plan took a sharp turn the night the fire alarms rang and everyone ran out of the bay and down the stairs to gather up in front of the barracks.

That’s when the captain started calling roll on the company.

“First platoon, report.”

“All present and accounted for, Sir.”

“Second platoon, report.”

Then it came to my platoon, the fourth.

We weren’t all present and accounted for. When the captain called, I didn’t answer.

He called again and I didn’t answer. My guys had fallen down the stairwell, tripped on each other. One of them ran into a metal pole that left a vertical bump down his face.

But that was all later.

The next call from the captain brought this:

“Drill Sergeant Easterling, what the hell going on down there? Report.”

Everyone remembers their drill sergeants. Mine came over and ordered me to say, “All present and accounted for, Sir.”

I explained why I couldn’t. The captain sounded angrier with his next call, which made the drill sergeant angry.

I didn’t report, so the drill sergeant did it instead. The next day I was no longer the leader of the pack or the future of the U.S. Army. I did speak truth to power, but I used silence.

And I was never extending my enlistment.

Speaking Truth In Your Face

Speaking truth to anyone can be dicey. Not everyone shares the same truth.

Try making a statement about men who abuse women and those who cover for them.

They get angrier than a pissy drill sergeant, but they don’t have the same background.

To them it’s personal, institutional; it’s sad and regretful. And they don’t want any reminders of what and who they are.

Remember the story about Charlie Manson? He went to prison where he died, but he didn’t kill anyone according to court records.

Whatever he did or didn’t do, speaking truth as a nutcase didn’t help him much.

When Things Takes A Bad Turn

I met a man, a successful business man with his wife.

One day the man explained to his wife who the new people were.

“I’m helping them find a home,” he said.

What he didn’t say was that one of the women was pregnant with his child.

His wife was shocked. I was shocked.

Call me old fashioned, but that’s the last thing I’d ever want to explain to my wife. How about you?

Now picture yourself as a sports executive working to reduce the impact of a player with an abusive history. Or a male coach of a women’s team pressuring them for off-field time together.

Am I talking about the Cleveland Browns and their new quarterback? Or the University of Michigan doctor?

Or the Michigan State doctor?

How much longer will it be before men understand that they need to be better men?

Learn to be a better man. Make it goal.