I mentioned some time ago that temperment would be an important part of determining my vote in the coming election. Working in Japan has afforded me a really interesting glimpse into the importance of temperment in a leader. Here in Japan, employees are constantly shuffled between schools and I have had the opportunity to work for several different principals during my time here at a bunch of different schools. As I watch students come and go, I am beginning to notice that the school itself carries a character and a texture of its own that is flavored by the students that pass through. As I watch principals come and go, I notice that the temperment of the principal causes different aspects of the school and the students to be highlighted.
To draw on this experience to describe a country, there is a texture to America that defines us as a country, and as people are born into citizenship and die out of it, that texture takes on different flavors over the course of history. As presidents come and go, their temperment highlights different aspects of the texture and flavor of Americanness. I do a poor job explaining my thoughts on the importance of temperment, but the following article does a much better job.
Enjoy!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20081016/us_time/doestemperamentmatter;_ylt=AlKBOlVn4KfahS0HmDzaLlJH2ocA
