Leadership and Natural Resources

Watching the media at the moment it seems leaders can’t do anything right. And the leaders themselves are vying for top position, power and influence. In our Exodus reading for this week you could say Moses is having a Dan Andrews moment. People questioning his leadership.

Whether it’s Koala’s, water sources, energy sources, freedom of movement, our pay check or in the case of Jesus, spiritual and moral authority, it seems leadership has to deal with a shrill outcry if people feel fearful or if they feel the status quo is being challenged and therefore their sense of security or authority.

In short we don’t like being uncomfortable in any way at all and some feel this more than others. Jesus makes the point it’s those who have the least to lose who trust the visionary leader the most. Those who have the most to lose are the first to try and find a way to undermine the visionary leader. Following a ‘vision’ is uncomfortable, even scary for those of us with the most to lose.

Moses had water issues. So do we! According to the CSIRO our Rainfall has been dropping 10mm near the coast to 50mm further inland every 10 years and is projected to continue to do so. Drying trends and water scarcity issues are affecting large areas of Australia (and the world). Water has been identified as a catalyst in areas experiencing national and civil conflict, according to Australian Defence Analysts. The underlying cause is Greenhouse Emissions and the resulting Global Warming.

There are Jesus figures and Moses figures, trying to lead us to do something about Climate Change, and the underlying causes. However, fear and denial seem to rule the day.

Who will we support and follow?