All examples displayed throughout Ruscio’s article argue that it is nearly impossible for a democracy to survive without humility. Ruscio defines humility as a leader who has “the courage of his or her convictions, while still being able to open to learning from others and from one’s own mistakes” (page 2). In my opinion, this means that leaders must be able to admit their mistakes and be able to move on efficiently. For instance, Lincoln was uncertain about himself, as he was sure that there was much truth yet to be discovered, but that he would not be able to find it on his own. This intellectual and moral humility is what allowed Lincoln to be a successful leader within a system of democracy.
On another note, Trump “has been the lack of congruity between the elemental character of the system and the character of the person chosen to lead it” (page 13). This is extremely problematic because it prevents Trump from learning from his mistakes, which could potentially lead from international conflicts in the future. I think there is an extreme connection between tyranny and a lack of humility. Tyrants tend to assert power beyond their duties and responsibilities, as well as seeking truth through personal bias rather than reason and analysis. Tyrants also claim that their authority puts them above the law. All of these characteristics of a tyrant are extremely the opposite of a leader with humility.
The connection here between tyranny and a lack of humility is very important. Something that I have been thinking about the past few classes is the idea of the “strongman” of politics and how this can relate to tyranny and a lack of humility. Although the strongman definition is associated with authoritarian regimes, there definitely have been some aspects of strongman politics and identity in Trump’s first term, very much the opposite of a leader with humility.
i think its intriguing that a good leader can move on with efficiency. i would be very curious to see with how much efficiency leaders do move on with or if it is more trial and error based. also i think Ruscio makes an interesting point about how a democracy cant live with out humility which i find very true. if a Leader cant learn from their mistakes how can they respect the will of the people they are supposed to serve.
I like how you connected tyranny with lack of humility. It can be extreme to say that someone who lacks humility also portrays a tyrant, but being a tyrant automatically means you lack humility. This could be a reason why a leader who lacks humility eventually starts to lead in a tyrannic way.