Conviction, Mission…

To speak without fear what is true for me takes a little courage. To do without fear what is true to yourself takes a notch more courage. And to go into harm’s way to save your buddies takes another form of courage. In our youth, we all possess a selfless ideal to want to change and improve other people’s life and even want to save the world. Most of us didn’t even manage to change ourselves, let alone change other people’s life and change the world. But an ideal is good, carrying it out is even better. What is your conviction? What is your mission? Unless these two “Whats” are large enough, the “Hows” won’t get you there.

 Profiles In Courage…

John F. Kennedy described in his book Profiles In Courage, those senators in the United States political history who had the fortitude and convictions to do what they believed was right. They had the courage to take unwavering actions despite the prevailing criticisms against them and the loss of personal popularity. In short, these politicians did not pussy foot over challenging issues by taking the middle ground. On the other side of the Atlantic, Baroness Thatcher would have certainly surpassed those in the book by virtue of the size of her role as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the huge legacy which she has left behind.

Lady In A Man’s World…

You have to know the United Kingdom (UK) to appreciate that for a woman to break into the male-dominated political arena of the 1950s and 1960s, she would have to work twice as hard to get half as far. Born a grocer’s daughter, Margaret Thatcher herself did not believe that the UK would see a lady Prime Minister within her life time. That was her belief as revealed during an interview after she had won a seat in 1959. She astounded the world when she was elected the Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990 and becoming the UK’s longest serving Prime Minister in the 2oth. And the only woman Prime Minister of the UK todate.

The Iron Lady…

Who else but an Iron Lady in the like of Baroness Thatcher, can possess the leadership and political conviction to prescribe strong but often painful and unpopular measures to bring the Sick Man of Europe back to health in the 1980s. Throughout the 1970s, the UK  had been besieged by industrial strife and a poor economy. Hence the sick man label.

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• Margaret Thatcher – An icon of Leadership Courage
• Lady Thatcher A Salute To Your Courage And Leadership