Moral Responsibility of a Leader Research Paper

Moral Responsibility of a Leader - Research Paper Example Intercultural impacts and massive communication facilities are leading us towards next major evolutionary step in human history, the world citizenship. Every individual involved in this process is required to lead an interconnected group in a subtle way. Hence every citizen of the planet is required to hone their leadership abilities like never before. Their leadership quality should be governed by ethics more than personal or group oriented preferences (Schmidt, 2007). But, the way the world works show we are treading in the exact opposite direction. No one ever takes responsibility of any mishap. Rush Kidder pinpoints the lack of this major moral responsibility as â€Å"Ethics Recession†. We will discuss the reasons for the situation, its adverse affects and the means to change into better leaders in this paper. Introduction Every moral leader is responsible not only for their actions but also the dealings they could have prevented doing for the welfare of everyone. Huge corporate companies and conglomerations which will lead this technological era should have iron willed leaders capable of choosing the best for both their company as well as the world in general. This is where ethics come is picture. Every good leader considers all the given options and its alternatives before taking any major decision. They analyze the consequences and the emotional impacts that might affect his crew and others in general. They take firm decisions which are profitable to the company and his employees. They also take the moral responsibility for any discomfort caused by this action (Taylor, 2000). They compensate groups or people affected in the required way and convince them to co-operate in the big picture of development, putting aside their personal grievances. This is exactly how moral leaders behaved for centuries. But the question here is ‘Why is there a sudden decline in such effective leadership?’ Every problem the world faces today, from economical recession to, terrorism and infiltration are a result of this lack of moral leadership (Anello, 2006). The US housing bubble, a major reason for the recession is the best example for what lack of work ethics will do. What happene d to our modern and moral citizens? Will world citizens be well dressed cannibals eating others opportunities whenever possible? If so is it development or a path to destruction? To find suitable answers to these questions we should first define â€Å"Morals† and â€Å"Ethics† The Enormous Responsibility of Leadership The word â€Å"Value† refers to something of importance. A commodity or a products value is determined based on its importance. Similarly the â€Å"Value† of a person is also determined based on his position or status. The decision taken by the ruler or the leader has more â€Å"Value† than the decision taken by a normal man. But every leader including the King was expected to follow some moral conducts known as â€Å"ethics† to maintain this â€Å"value† or their position in the ancient world. When the mob refused to follow its ethics, dictators arouse. When Kings failed to add â€Å"Value† to their decisions thr ough non ethical conduct, the church condemned them and revolutions arouse. The higher the position is the necessity to follow the code of conduct or ethics increases. Hence most of the nobles, church dignitaries and Kings

Treatment of Women in Medea by Euripides (431 BC) Essay

Treatment of Women in Medea by Euripides (431 BC) - Essay Example Aristophanes, the contemporary writer of comedies, included several mocking references to Euripides' plays, including Medea, in his works. (March p32) One of the reasons was that Euripides tended to go against the tide by taking up the cause of groups, which had no voice of their own (women and slaves, for instance). We must remember that Medea itself was a play written about a woman by a man for men. Euripides chose a subject/character-that of Medea-which was well known to the Athenian theatre going public. However, he took some liberties with the story-with the specific horrific detail of Medea murdering her young sons, which is the pivot on which the audience's (lack of) sympathy for Medea rests. According to legend, Medea did not kill the children (March p35). But Euripides constructed his plot in this manner probably for intensifying the dramatic effect, but more likely to point out what a person who had no power to control her own life could do, if pushed to the corner. Tyro is unmarried and pregnant. She leaves her baby to die in the woods. This child-Pelias-was rescued by shepherds. Tyro marries Cretheus, son of Aeolus, and has three children. Later on, when Pelias returns, his mother accepts him back into the family. When Tyro's husband dies, Pelias seizes the throne of Iolcos, although it legitimately belongs to his half-brother, Aeson. When Pelias tries to get the sanction of the oracle for his deed, he is warned of danger from a descendant of Aeolus "with one sandal". Jason, grandson of Aeolus is sent away by Pelias. Jason grows to manhood and returns-he arrives, having swum across the river, losing a sandal in it. He then claims the throne which is rightfully his. Pelias decides to send Jason on a mission to avenge the death of Phrixus. So Jason sets out with his crew in his ship the Argo. They reach Colchis. Here he meets the king's daughter, Medea, and they fall in love. Medea helps Jason with her magical powers, to outwit her father and o btain the Golden Fleece. Medea, while fleeing from Colchis with Jason, does not hesitate to kill her brother, Absyrtus, throwing his limbs one by one into the water, in order to slow down her father, who stops to pick them up. Thus they escape to Greece. But when they reach Iolcos, they find that Pelias has murdered Jason's family. So she plays a trick on Pelias. She butchers an old ram, and boils it with some herbs, bringing forth a young lamb. So Pelias' daughters attempting to make their father young, cut him up and boil him in the pot. This is a trick played by Medea on them to kill Pelias. The people of Iolcos, however, do not want Jason to become king. So Medea and he flee to Corinth. The action of Medea, the play, takes place here, many years later. (Classics Pages)From the background information, it is evident that Medea dabbles in magic-she is a sorceress; she is