Documentaries have a lasting effect.
A brilliantly composed excerpt from John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightening, Day of Drums provided clarity on what makes a great leader and visionary.
Written by Bruce Herschensohn, a 45 second clip describes intangibles needed for the moment in history. John Kennedy had 6 phases of the New Frontier ready for Americans. They included: The Peace Corp, the Conquest of Space, An Alliance for Progress, Civil Rights, Freedom, and Peace.
Bruce juxtaposes Kennedy’s vision against doubters — those who disagreed with the President or better put “laughed at the Peace Corp,” “those who said there was no reason to go to the moon,” “those who said the Alliance for Progress would fail,” “those who said there could be no integration of the races,” “those who said communism could not hurt freedom,” and “those who said there was no hope of a lasting peace.”
then, my favorite:
“but perhaps man is at times, dominated by the things he can see the clearest and hear the loudest, while the uncommon man is not so preoccupied with site and sound, instead he thinks in terms of the invisible and silent. He thinks of compassion which is invisible and silent, he thinks of peace which is invisible and silent, not war with it’s bright flames and explosive roars, he thinks of freedom which is invisible and silent. not war with it’s not oppression with uniforms and the hammering of a war.”
High level plans require great communication and a sound vision. Executing plans demand focus in areas where the invisible and silent reside.
In JFK’s case, he fulfilled his vision around the conference rooms of the United Nations, on the roads of Alabama, along the walls of West Berlin, helping villages in Samoa, beneath the towers of Cape Canaveral, and across the halls of Congress.
What do you see in the invisible and silent? How are you allocating your time accordingly?