Men Don't Follow Titles, they Follow Courage

You may recognize that line from the all-time great movie Braveheart.  After a stunning victory over the English, William Wallace was knighted by the Scottish nobility.  Immediately after the ceremony, the nobles predictably begin fighting over claims to the throne, and Wallace leaves.  Robert the Bruce, whose family really did have the rightful claim, follows him out and Wallace tells him that "Men don't follow titles, they follow courage."   Men followed the nobles because they were forced to due to serfdom, while men followed Wallace because he stood for something that was right (freedom) and acted boldly.  

Our society all too often over-emphasizes title, position, political party, race, gender and any other kind of label that can be attached to someone.  We judge people on shallow premises and outward appearances.  This kind of ignorance is a plague on our culture.  But when push comes to shove, people will follow real leadership, wherever it comes from, not just because someone has a piece of paper that says they are entitled to be followed.

Martin Luther King declared that he had a dream where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin, but the content of their character.".  Character really is the standard by which we should be known and understood.  The Scottish nobility in Braveheart were self-serving and arrogant.  They were despised by the people.  But Wallace was a true leader with the courage and selflessness to fight for right, and people revered him and came alongside him in battle.

I recently let a man's title blind me to the content of his character, and it led me to a place of disappointment and frustration.  For years I supported him based on the title in front of his name and a piece of paper hanging on his office wall.  I failed to assess his leadership accurately because I was looking at it through the prism of title rather than character and actions.  People will always surprise, deceive, and let us down, but if we honestly look for a man's true character rather than some meaningless legalistic label, we'll see more things as they really are and make better decisions in life.

The content of our character is the reality of who we are and how we will ultimately be judged.