Thanks for your insights, Mike.  I take away two important ideas from you comments.  First, our actions are a better indicator of our core vlaues than our words.  In fact, our actions can belie our words and we might understand each other better if we watched at least as much as we listened.  An interesting idea.  The second idea you explain is this phrase, "leading from the best of who we are."  How is it that in a world where everybody knows intuitively what you mean here, we so rarely see this behavior in action.  We know what is morally sound, we know what core values are present in society.  Why don't those societal values actually translate into individual values more often?  If our actions reveal our core, then it is clear that even though our leaders have a best self, they do not always use that self as a guide for decisions.

A disheartening idea.  We know what's right and choose something else anyway.  Hmm...  I think I need some encouragement here.

Thoughts?

Deb