Sleepwalkers:Download file
As an admirer of Peter Karoff, I will be attending by phone an upcoming Tuesday at TPI he has convened on "Leadership" in the nonprofit sector. His essay, as far as I can see, toward that project is currently entitled, "Sleepwalkers: An Essay in Confusion." Now, the part that gets me is not the subtitle, nor the way in the essay that Peter dramatizes the moral uncertainty of a wavering philanthropist, unable to even face the problems of the day, much less provide leadership. No! What gets me, is the title: "Sleepwalkers." Do you know he is alluding to a book about the Germans in late 1930's? The "we" with which Peter struggles and falls silent at the end of his essay, is the "we" of collective responsibility. As a leader among leaders, Peter is gesturing, ever more desperately - that we must awaken from our trance.
Do you sense, as I do, that the great "we," the "we" who announced themselves as "we the people" is awakening? Like sleepwalkers, with or without leaders, we assemble, rubbing our eyes, and greeting one another in the street as friend, neighbor and citizen. Or, am I dreaming?
Citizen, what say you?
