The Value of Discretion through The Lens of George Washington
"Sleep not when others speak, sit not when others stand, speak not when you should hold your peace, walk not when others stop." -George Washington
I personally enjoy this quote because it speaks about discretion and how by showing basic, geniuine courtesy one can rule justly and effectively. George Washington was that man who best embodied that delicate, that rare ability of being a gentleman, leader, and a warrior. Washington was the only man who could lead a rag tag of poorly trained militiamen into a force capable of defeating the most powerful army in the world. Most importantly Washington was also the only person who could unite the fledgling colonies after their momentous victory over the red coats.
During this past 4th of July as I was watching the History Channel's special on the Revolutionary War. I learned through watching this documentary about the tenuous years after the Revoultionary War. What I learned was that for a period of about 4 years before Washington was sworn in as our countries first president, the very unity of the colonies was at stake. Each colony after the victory wanted to govern in their own ways, without any national oversight. Each state had their own procedures, laws, and legislatures. It was said that Pennsylvania alone boasted of over 400 members in their legislative house Holding these fragmented colonies together was the weak articles of confederation. These articles were so weak that they nearly cost the colonies their victory over the English because the colonies could not raise and financially support an army. So each of the colonies began to assert their independence often times at the expense of the entire nation. Some of these disagreements became so intense that several states threatened to form their own republics. Faced with this devastating prospect 55 delegates decided to form the first constitutional Convention in 1787. These delegates where given the gargantuan responsibility of crafting a document that would unite all of the near splintering colonies. At the end of this historic gathering the Constitution was effectively created and ratified in 1787.
The great question after the successful framing of the Constitution was who would become our nation's first president? The answer was a resounding consensus; General George Washington was unanimously selected. Why was Washington selected when their were a plethora of other choices? I believe that Washington was selected not only because of his military genius, but mostly because he was a master at consensus building, of uniting a diverse set of people under one cause. Simply no one could do this better than him. I believe that a great reason why George Washington was selected was his ability to listen genuinely to another person's needs, while molding that person's opinion in such a matter that the person thought that they came up with the idea in the first place. The ability that I am talking about is discretion. Here is how these abilities were manifested in George Washington's tenure as general and president:
"Sleep not when others speak": Washington possessed the uncanny ability of listening attentively while others were speaking. At face value this seems obvious but upon further inspection one will realize how difficult this is to achieve in real life situations.
I remember that one of the most difficult things about being a college student was listening to hours and hours of pointless lectures. Many times I would dose off, or I would browse the web so that I could escape the tortuous, redundant hell of college lectures. Washington would never encourage such behavior he would exhort for me instead to pay attention, to listen to even the smallest details.
"Sit not when others stand", This line I believe speaks about meekness how one is supposed to compose one's self both in public and in private. Isn't annoying whenever you are at work, school, or at a family gathering there always seems to be that person who always tries to stand out for the wrong reason? That person who always disagrees just for disagreement's sake? Washington would strongly oppose such false bravado.
"Speak not when you should hold your peace": This line speaks about being respectful while discerning what to say next. I admit that a great flaw of mine is that I tend to be an impulsive speaker. Whenever I get an idea in my head, I feel that I need to immediately say it lest I forget it. Instead Washington is encouraging one to think quietly, discreetly, with great discernment before speaking.
"Walk not when others stop": This line I believe speaks about humility, being able to share the burdens of another's pain. This line can also be viewed through a biblical lens when Jesus challenges his disciples to go the extra mile when in service to others. (cf. Matt 4: 40)
There are many attributes that made George Washington great. However, I believe that the core of this greatness came through his unique ability to be discreet while leading courageously.
I personally enjoy this quote because it speaks about discretion and how by showing basic, geniuine courtesy one can rule justly and effectively. George Washington was that man who best embodied that delicate, that rare ability of being a gentleman, leader, and a warrior. Washington was the only man who could lead a rag tag of poorly trained militiamen into a force capable of defeating the most powerful army in the world. Most importantly Washington was also the only person who could unite the fledgling colonies after their momentous victory over the red coats.
During this past 4th of July as I was watching the History Channel's special on the Revolutionary War. I learned through watching this documentary about the tenuous years after the Revoultionary War. What I learned was that for a period of about 4 years before Washington was sworn in as our countries first president, the very unity of the colonies was at stake. Each colony after the victory wanted to govern in their own ways, without any national oversight. Each state had their own procedures, laws, and legislatures. It was said that Pennsylvania alone boasted of over 400 members in their legislative house Holding these fragmented colonies together was the weak articles of confederation. These articles were so weak that they nearly cost the colonies their victory over the English because the colonies could not raise and financially support an army. So each of the colonies began to assert their independence often times at the expense of the entire nation. Some of these disagreements became so intense that several states threatened to form their own republics. Faced with this devastating prospect 55 delegates decided to form the first constitutional Convention in 1787. These delegates where given the gargantuan responsibility of crafting a document that would unite all of the near splintering colonies. At the end of this historic gathering the Constitution was effectively created and ratified in 1787.
The great question after the successful framing of the Constitution was who would become our nation's first president? The answer was a resounding consensus; General George Washington was unanimously selected. Why was Washington selected when their were a plethora of other choices? I believe that Washington was selected not only because of his military genius, but mostly because he was a master at consensus building, of uniting a diverse set of people under one cause. Simply no one could do this better than him. I believe that a great reason why George Washington was selected was his ability to listen genuinely to another person's needs, while molding that person's opinion in such a matter that the person thought that they came up with the idea in the first place. The ability that I am talking about is discretion. Here is how these abilities were manifested in George Washington's tenure as general and president:
"Sleep not when others speak": Washington possessed the uncanny ability of listening attentively while others were speaking. At face value this seems obvious but upon further inspection one will realize how difficult this is to achieve in real life situations.
I remember that one of the most difficult things about being a college student was listening to hours and hours of pointless lectures. Many times I would dose off, or I would browse the web so that I could escape the tortuous, redundant hell of college lectures. Washington would never encourage such behavior he would exhort for me instead to pay attention, to listen to even the smallest details.
"Sit not when others stand", This line I believe speaks about meekness how one is supposed to compose one's self both in public and in private. Isn't annoying whenever you are at work, school, or at a family gathering there always seems to be that person who always tries to stand out for the wrong reason? That person who always disagrees just for disagreement's sake? Washington would strongly oppose such false bravado.
"Speak not when you should hold your peace": This line speaks about being respectful while discerning what to say next. I admit that a great flaw of mine is that I tend to be an impulsive speaker. Whenever I get an idea in my head, I feel that I need to immediately say it lest I forget it. Instead Washington is encouraging one to think quietly, discreetly, with great discernment before speaking.
"Walk not when others stop": This line I believe speaks about humility, being able to share the burdens of another's pain. This line can also be viewed through a biblical lens when Jesus challenges his disciples to go the extra mile when in service to others. (cf. Matt 4: 40)
There are many attributes that made George Washington great. However, I believe that the core of this greatness came through his unique ability to be discreet while leading courageously.
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