Defining who we are: Words matter

"Words matter." That's what former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. answered when I asked about the visionary statements in his 2005 inaugural address, " … I will lead and I will take an occasional risk. We live in an era in which taking no risk is sometimes the biggest risk of all … whatever political capital I now possess will be used for the good of this state." He told me, "I wanted it to be a harbinger of things to come. … Words matter."

The recent Tucson tragedy serves to remind us of how words influence our behavior; good leaders understand that. They are able to sense what is in our hearts and minds, what fears we have. Good leaders build upon the common values that hold us together as a society. They offer hope in time of despair, inspire us, call upon the goodness within us and work for the common good.

Human tragedies always remind us of our humanity, our frailties and how we need each another. The tragedy in Tucson is no different. As our society has become more complex, sophisticated and impersonal, driven by technology and the Internet, we find ourselves more divided and trying to seek quick answers in today's fast-changing world.

We cling to any answers that might give us solace, sometimes without understanding their source, leaving us susceptible to cyberspace and opportunistic politicians looking to exploit the anxiety about the problems we face. Unlike leaders who work for the common good, some of today's politicians exploit the challenges we face and use the weakest and the most vulnerable among us as scapegoats to further their selfish interest. They pounce on every opportunity, such as the recent Tucson tragedy, to maintain their power, quick to stir the pain and fear of the moment that serve to divide us. They look to blame those with different views, conflicting public policies, guns, mental illness, government failure, the media; yet offer no solutions that bring us together.

Self-serving elements of our society fail to understand, or care, that this recent tragedy is a phenomenon of a society that is undergoing change — the numbing of values, loss of civility, anger and violence now growing in our nation. It is easy to blame selfish politicians, the media and the opposition; however, the reality is they are simply parroting what many may be saying at the dinner table, water cooler and in the conduct of daily life. More people now seem to be self-absorbed, giving disingenuous reverence to personal responsibility without any desire to seek the common good.