Accountability

A father without a father

Has difficulty balancing.

A master without a master

Is dangerous.

We look up to our parents, our teachers, and our leaders with trust and expectation. Their responsibility is to guide us, educate us, and even make judgments on  our behalf when circumstances are uncertain. Ultimately, they are to bring us to the  point where we can make our own decisions, based on the wisdom that they have  helped us develop.

But the potential for abuse and mistakes is very great. What person can be right  all the time?

A simple lapse at the wrong time can cause confusion, psychological  scars, and even great disaster. Harsh words during a child’s impressionable  moments can engender years of problems. That is why we need a parent for the  parent, a master for the master, and leaders for the leaders. This prevents errors of  power. In the past, even kings had wise advisers. Every person who would be a  leader should have such assistance.

Eventually, someone has to be at the top. And who will that person turn to? Let  us invoke not deities but pragmatism. It is experience that is the ultimate teacher.  That is why wise people travel constantly and test themselves against the flux of circumstance.

It is only in this way that they can truly confirm their thoughts and  compensate for their shortcomings.