Leaving office should not be painful in the face of true leadership

In democratic societies, public service is a privilege bestowed on individuals by the people. It is a call to serve given by the people, who are sovereign. The higher the office given, the bigger the privilege. The attraction of political office in democracies is higher since it is the people, through universal suffrage, who determine the occupants. It is a great honour for one to be called to serve through the free will and choice of the people in an election.

For politicians, ascension to office is a crowning moment resplendent with pomp and ceremony. It is the pinnacle of self-actualisation and a vindication of the principles and ideals an individual politician holds. To rise to political office with the goodwill of the people blowing behind a politician’s sails is both encouraging and fulfilling. The politician then becomes the personification of the dreams and aspirations of the people. His or her very life begins to take on a larger than life proportion, as if the fate of his people depends on his existence. Men will throw themselves in the way of danger to protect the life of the one man or woman believed to carry the dreams of a people.