A government is only as good as the leaders that run it, and in a democracy like ours where the people choose their government leaders, the government’s performance is a reflection of the people’s choice. This means that most of our disgust towards government should be directed towards ourselves because we are choosing the wrong leaders.

We seem to have forgotten that over three centuries ago, people traded in their pitch forks, guns and swords for the ballot box. Our duty as electors is one of the most powerful tools for social impact the world has ever known. However, with only 63 percent of the American voting population participating in the historic 2008 election, it is apparent that we have come to take the power of the ballot box for granted.

In fact, our poor decisions at the ballot box are at the root of the dysfunction we witness in governments today. Electors are essentially the guardians of the republic, and when the guardians fail to pay careful attention while on duty, thieves will ransack the republic. This is what has happened in republics all over the West, especially America. Electors have been deceived by wolves in sheep’s clothing–Self-centered politicians. These politicians have taken the reins of our republics and run them aground.  

Politicians are to blame because they are actually the problem. By nature, politicians are self centered and focus on self preservation. The best of them are able to get people to believe that their ascension to power mainly benefits others, when it is really a fulfillment of personal and often selfish ambition. Historically, politicians have always been present in government, but rarely have they enjoyed such a free reign as the have over the past 40 years.

For a generation, our lack of discernment as electors has allowed self-serving politicians to turn our state into their political fiefdoms. Just as a self-serving leader is a detriment to the organization they lead, so is a politician a detriment to their nation. Instead of making sustainable decisions that benefit the organization, a self-serving leader pillages the organization, often leaving it on the brink of failure.

This is our predicament in America today. From our burgeoning deficits to the state of our environment, the warning signals of an unsustainable trajectory are getting louder. America has all the symptoms of a victim of rape, where the perpetrators are self-serving politicians and their interest groups. 

It is not hyperbole to claim that the future of the American republic hinges upon the electorates ability to better discern and choose moral political leaders, otherwise known as statesmen, to steward the republic. Often these moral political leaders choose to hold public office, like Abraham Lincoln. However, most of them rarely seek it out, as was the case for Martin Luther King, Jr, Gandhi, and even Jesus Christ. 

Apart from historical examples, here are a few distinguishing features of statesmen that the electorate should keep in mind as we seek out leaders to solve today’s problems:

Selfless Vs. Self-centered
Statesmen are not the center of their world, this is their distinguishing trait. Unlike politicians, what motivates them is less tied to their own fate and more tied to the fate of the people they lead. This selfless tendency is at the root of what is beneficial about them.   

Love Vs Lust
Statesmen love, while politicians lust. Statesmen’ selfless tendency allows them to actually love the people they lead as opposed to lusting over them, as politicians often do. When a leader loves, they seek to give to the people, but when a leader is in lust, they seek to take from the people. History witnesses to the fact that acts of love, not lust, are what saves this world time and again.  

Drafted Vs. Electioneering
Statesmen rarely seek out public office, but when they do it’s because they’re being drafted by others. Statesmen, because they are not the center of the world, have a humble claim to authority while politicians, who seek it out for themselves, are presumptuous in their claim to authority. This is very much why the title of statesmen is often conferred upon diplomats today. Diplomats aren’t elected but appointed. Many statesmen of our past, ranging from George Washington to Dwight D. Eisenhower, were drafted to public office, they dreaded electioneering. Like the story of Cincinnatus, the victorious General who retired to his farm at the pinnacle of power, their claim to power was a temporary public need rather than the fulfillment of self-centered ambitions. 

Hearts Vs. Minds
Statesmen seek to reach hearts while politicians seek to reach minds. Politicians prefer to be feared than loved because its easier to reach the head than the heart.  You can easily deceive and manipulate minds, but it is hard to deceive hearts. The heart responds to truth. Statesmen use truth to liberate the people they lead while politicians use lies to ensnare and control the people they govern.

Before Vs After
Statesmen sacrifice long before they serve in office, while politicians want the office before they sacrifice. History shows that recognition often comes late for the honorable. Statesmen are focused on more than themselves so they operate in a timeframe that often surpasses their lifetimes. 

This is why a title and office are rarely conferred upon them while or before they sacrifice. The difference here is that statesmen can sacrifice without a near term and personal reward in sight because they love, while politicians can’t because they do not love. Statesmen have a long established record of genuine sacrifice, while politicians have a long and flattering list of promises.

Thierry F. Dongala is the Co-host of the POV Podcast hosted by YPNation.com.