Ring the Bells That Still Can Ring
Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.
Leonard Cohen wrote these words in the worldwide tumult of the early 90s. “Anthem” called upon us to have courage and persistence in our daily work, lives and love. It was clear to all to see the world was deeply marred by enmity, strife, terrorism, fear, and hatred. Indeed, Cohen wrote, “there is a crack, a crack in everything.” We are all deeply flawed, and yet it is because of these cracks that the light gets in, the light from outside us that calls us to confront evil in ourselves and turn toward the good. And, at least it my mind, our collective cracks, if you will, are the places we discover our authentic selves and find the beauty in each other. Once you see that we are all flawed and you accept it, you become a different citizen of the world. And with my flaws in mind, I can begin to honestly explore, with you, the light together.
Leadership in the world calls us to soberly and resolutely take stock of ourselves, others and the community/world in which we live. Discovering that we are flawed, lets us both celebrate our strengths, revealed in the light through the cracks, and find joy in the compensating strengths of others. This can be not only freeing but life giving. Working alongside others, the servant leader can participate in discovering the flaws in any system or community as an opportunity for building a stronger house of accord.
It is so true that there is a crack in everything. The light that streams through illuminates our flaws and offers the opportunity of collective beauty. I once created a general giving brochure for an organization. I thought it was great. When I placed it on the “table” for mutual review, it came back to me tattered and torn. But here is the wonderful truth. My “flaws” in creation, were indeed opportunities for light. And my truly good ideas, for they were there, became occasions for something better. I was on to something really important, and my errors became opportunities for insight and growth.
There is a crack, a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.