Great moral leaders, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., are often placed on a pedestal by human society, yet we are inevitably disappointed by their human limitations and frailties. Some people idealize such leaders because, in a world darkened by violence and greed, we seek moral heroes that can balance evil with their unblemished goodness. At the other extreme, some take a certain pleasure in tearing down these icons of moral purity, either to expose hypocrisy or to relieve themselves of the burden of living up to such a high standard.

Platform question: From and Ethical Culture perspective, how can we acknowledge the goodness expressed by our moral leaders, while admitting their limitations, in a way that brings out our best as moral leaders? Can we, for example, avoid setting up President Elect Obama as so much a hero that he will, in time, disappoint us?