I don’t know where to start or what to say about the horror in Christchurch, NZ last week. Mostly it’s all been said*.
There have been tears in our household this last week, mainly mine and all relating to the NZ situation. It seems that every time I see Prime Minister Jacinda Adern, I tear up. I’ve been thinking about it a lot and here are some thoughts.
Presence. She showed up. She keeps showing up. Front and centre. Clearly accepting the role of a leader during a crisis.
Empathy. She feels what the NZ people feel. She reflects the sorrow of the family’s victims. I imagine the effect she has had on Kiwis is that they think, she feels what we feel.
Composure. Clearly she is sad and angry, but she understands that she has the responsibility of spreading calm throughout the nation and the world.
Selfless. When asked by a student of Cashmere College, a school where several victims were from, how she was, she simply answered “Thank you for asking. I’m very sad.”
Vulnerability. She looks and sounds tired and sad. She is human, but she is strong.
Why does she make me cry? Perhaps because it is true leadership in action, something that is sadly rare. Perhaps it’s because she is so genuine and authentic. Maybe it’s a realisation that if more of our leaders were like her, the world would be a better place? Whatever it is, let’s try to be more like her?
*Here is a brilliant article by journalist, Lisa Wilkinson.
The image is by NZ cartoonist, Shaun Yeo.
