My irregular rants are supposed to somehow be linked to war and warfare, and this one will get there … eventually.

The philosopher Heraclitus lived in Greece in the 6^th Century BC and is credited with the statement that character is fate. I was raised with that precept, and that is the theme of this short essay.

In the West, we seem to have lost our way regarding the issue of character. Led by the US, countries across the West have chosen leaders who are demonstrably NOT men and women of good character. Canada recently had a federal election and without going into specifics, the electorate seemed to break with countries like Hungary, Italy, Germany and others in rejecting a candidate who sought high office but who seemed to care less about the “right” thing than he did about the need to be divisive in his rhetoric and placing emphasis not on the positive aspects of our society but on the grievances that he was convinced would propel him into office. Thankfully, he miscarried.

Canadians, perhaps acting as a bellwether, seemed to be demonstrating that they crave goodness in their leaders. Identity politics and the grievance-laden complaints that we have seen in the politics south of the border, although initially seeming to gain traction, failed. I cannot offer polls or scientific studies, but like most of you reading this post, I interact with several dozen people every day and the vast majority of these interactions leave me ever prouder to be allowed to call myself a Canadian. Forgetting your wallet at the grocery store inevitably has someone calling to you with your wallet in hand; attempting to cross a street at an intersection will bring traffic to a stop; saying hello to a complete stranger at a coffee shop usually leads a pleasant conversation.

Canada is hardly Utopia, but having lived and visited dozens of countries on five continents has convinced me that we here are as close as humanity can come to that fictional ideal. Problems? Of course we have problems. But they pale compared to other countries, especially to a few that up until recently were near and dear to our hearts.

How does this craving by our citizens relate to war and warfare? In ways both subtle and chilling. The US Military Academy at West Point has recently undone decades of progress in making the US military more inclusive and socially relatable to its own citizens. Normally it takes generations for such change to be felt but these changes are already having an effect on the US military with the current President and his Sec Def cutting a swath through the ranks of officers and senior enlisted personnel. This should matter to us outside the US because like it or not, they will lead any coalition that needs to confront a bellicose nation in Eastern Europe or Asia. Weapons don’t win wars; leaders do.

Closer to home, as is often the case, we are not immediately following the US lead (yet) but some of the changes I see at my beloved alma mater make me wonder what types of leaders will march off the square this year and next in Kingston. I try not to focus on the negatives that I see and read about, but doubts are raised in my mind, and I wonder.

Admiral Morse, when Commandant of RMC, once said rightly that RMC makes engineers literate and artsmen numerate. But what about moral philosophy? What about mental preparedness for the stresses and strains of leadership and command? What about the age-old precept that leaders must, by dint of their mandate as leaders, always be held to higher and more demanding standards, whether physical, moral or intellectual.

I am not saying that the sky is falling, but I worry. Canadians expect more from their leaders and I wonder if our institutions, particularly those charged with our common defence, are listening.