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May 20, 2005
 When
we visited the University of Pretoria to talk to the
program coordinators at its HIV/AIDS center, there
was a quote in the book given to us about males and
the virus.
"The
starting point of critical elaboration is the consciousness
of what one really is, and is 'knowing thyself' as
a product of the historical process to date which
has deposited in you an infinity of traces, without
leaving inventory."
These
words spoken by Antonio Gransci capture one of the
greatest challenges faced by leaders of the past,
present, and future. Since the species that inhabited
the earth during the time of the first humans, human
kind has faced the challenge of understanding who
one truly is. Even Hamlet faced a similar challenge
of "knowing thyself." It is self-knowledge
that will prepare one to face the challenges of ethical
leadership.
When
we were riding in the van to the U.S. Embassy Dr.
Walter Fulker talked with us about the law of autonomy
and the Greek origins of the word autonomy. He said
that when you give brothers responsibility, they can
carry the weight of the world on their shoulders.
Almamy Sagna had been charged with waking all 30 of
us up this morning and completed the task successfully.
We thought he would be the one who was late every
morning and the person who wouldn't be up on time,
but he rose to the occassion and carried out his charge.
Upon
reaching South Africa, I have been in the process
of sorting the deposits made by a history of suffering
and sacrifice. With each new experience and encounter,
I gain a greater sense of self-worth, self-mastery,
and self-rule. In order to gain a better understanding
of who I am, I have had to deconstruct many of my
thoughts and perceptions. This deconstruction has
created space for examining the foundation upon which
I stand as an emerging ethical leader.
A
love of Dear Old Morehouse, a love of everyman and
a love of myself have given me a strong foundation
to think openly and consciously about the perceptions
of my reality.
This
trip to South Africa has given me an opportunity to
rebuild myself just as the leaders of South Africa
are rebuilding from years of suffering and sacrifice.
Given the richness of the people, the land and the
culture found in South Africa I am preparing to lead
others with an empowering message of hope through
love. My interactions with children who lack dreams
and aspirations, who have yet to find an answer to
the question of what do you want to be when you grow
up, and who need to be touched and loved compels me
to answer the call for ethical leadership.
As
I rebuild and obtain self-knowledge, I will strive
to achieve greatness through serving others. This
greatness is only achieved through dissenting to my
personal agenda and consenting to the agenda and the
responsibilities that have been given to me by those
who suffered and sacrificed to bring me to this place
in my life. I fully understand that I too must suffer
and sacrifice greatly in facing and accepting the
challenges of ethical leadership.
Jamison
Collier '06 is a business administration major, with
a concentration in accounting, from Decatur, Ga.
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