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Don't trip!

You have to be courageous in life. But you have to be careful not to cross the line from courageous to stupid. The line between courage and stupidity is thin, sometimes transparent. Don't trip.

I think about this a lot here in Israel and in life as a woman. I think that for women being courageous comes across differently than it does for men - girls are described as bossy and boys are leaders, for displaying the same behaviors. And in Israel you can be rude and offensive or firm and decisive about what you want - and the gender lines seem to be less black and white here, too.

Being far away from the US has afforded me a certain level of perspective on the Democratic process of governance in the United States. At the same time, my level of awareness is lower because I am not 100% tuned in to the 24 hour news cycle there. And I would say I am getting about the same level of engagement and awareness here in Israel with my limited reading skills (and time) for the news. What I am seeing, reading, understanding, suggests to me there is a great deal of stupidity at play in the world at the moment. There are dangerous and stupid leaders, often with a healthy dose of arrogance and ego on top of that sundae. And there are leaders trying to be courageous but not self aware enough to see that they are actually being stupid and ineffective. And there are a great many leaders who believe they are being courageous but are hampered by their own self-interests so that they cross the line into stupid instead. And all along the way the global and local public just shakes their heads, hoping perhaps things will improve; working to make improvements where they can; risking their lives when necessary; reaching out to others to help craft the world and country they hope to see come into being.

This has been going around the internet, it's a commencement address from Pitzer College this year. It is just fantastic. He hits the nail on the head, at least in terms of the US, but I think his message has a more global reach.
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/05/life-lessons-in-fighting-the-culture-of-bullshit/276030/

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