Courage Seemed to Be Dead. Then Came Zelensky.; The New York Times, May 13, 2022

Peter Coy, The New York Times ; Courage Seemed to Be Dead. Then Came Zelensky.

"Economists may have lost track of courage, but artists never did. Maya Angelou, the American poet and activist, once echoed Aristotle: “Courage is the most important of all the virtues, because without courage you can’t practice any other virtue consistently. You can practice any virtue erratically, but nothing consistently without courage.”

I interviewed Geoffrey Hodgson, who was trained in economics, taught management at several British universities and wrote “From Pleasure Machines to Moral Communities.” He told me that human beings are unique in that their tendency to sacrifice for one another, while having a biological basis, is reinforced by culture. “I grew up with stories of heroic individuals,” he said. “We teach kids about great heroes. People doing good. Putting others before themselves.” Zelensky will be used as an example to inculcate courage and selflessness in future generations, Hodgson predicted.

I also interviewed Al Gini, a retired professor of business ethics at Loyola University Chicago. He said it’s no coincidence that Zelensky was a comic actor before he became president. “Being a leader is playing a role,” Gini said. “A role dedicated to others.”

Zelensky is playing the role of hero, and it’s growing on him."