Robert Ingersoll wrote those words about Abraham Lincoln more than a century ago, yet they feel painfully relevant today.
I meet so many young people who have lost faith that real leaders exist. They look around and see too many powerful people making decisions based on what is good for themselves, not others. Too many choosing self over service, certainty over humility, greed over generosity. I get the weariness, the cynicism, even the fear.
But cynicism is the best friend of the status quo.
This past month, meeting leaders across the UK, Switzerland, Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, and Ethiopia reminded me that good leaders are everywhere. Everywhere I went, I found individuals grounded in moral imagination and determined to be of use — leaders whose actions are rooted not in "I" but in “we.” I met people willing to hold values in tension: compassion and accountability, ambition and humility, courage and restraint. People who give more than they take. Some have gained significant power, yet are not corrupted by it.
Power, perhaps more than pain, reveals who we are at our core. I wish I could show you all those for whom it reveals generosity and love.
The work of our time is not only to call out the misuse of power. It is to recognize, strengthen, and stand with those who use power to serve.
From them, I derive more hope for this weary world than I can say.
Today 4pm.
Our @UnitedWayofCM Annual Community Showcase.
“A Year of Community Resiliency”.
Join us and hear from nonprofit partners; listen to our collective responses to the issues of food insecurity, the need for emergency winter shelter, and energy security.
Join us!
Encourage someone.
Celebrate someone.
Lift someone up.
In a world where so many are weighed down by life’s relentless struggles, even the smallest act of encouragement can remind someone that there is still goodness in this world and that they have the power to rise.
Charlie Baker, president of the NCAA and former Massachusetts governor, will address #HolyCross2026 at Commencement this year! We’re proud to award honorary degrees to Baker and Tim Garvin, president and CEO of United Way of Central Massachusetts. 🎓 https://t.co/f69hStdUln
March 1.
Peace Corps Day.
March 1, 1961 JFK used an Executive Order to establish the Peace Corps.
240,000 Americans have answered the call to serve our country, our world, our shared humanity.
@PeaceCorps@pcorpsconnect
👟 The Walk for Hunger returns to Boston Common on May 3, 2025, marking our 58th year! And on February 12, you can register and join in on the fun. Since its founding in 1969, The Walk has brought together people from all backgrounds to fight hunger. Stay tuned for registration!