OPINION: Good is greater than great
Shaking Ben Sasse’s hand and talking with him a few years ago in the basement of Oman Arena, I realized I was talking with a good man. He had come to Jackson to speak, and instead of eating lunch with those who had invited him, he hurried back to the hotel to throw a football with his son in the parking lot. It is interesting that a few years later, what I now remember about him is his parenting, not his position.
Jim Collins helpful book for organizations is entitled Good to Great. This is an excellent resource for those wanting to lead an organization toward greatness. As an individual, though, Ben Sasse’s strength lies not in any greatness he may have achieved, but in the goodness which he is pursuing.
If there is anyone who had the opportunity for greatness, it is Ben Sasse. Attending Harvard University, St. John College and Yale University, he taught at the University of Texas, served as assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and in 2010 was named the 15th President of Midland University in Fremont, Nebraska. He is probably most well-known for his two recent roles. From 2015-2023 he served as a US Senator from Nebraska, and from 2023-2024 he was president of the University of Florida.
In mid-July of this year, he announced that he would resign from the presidency effective July 31. In the announcement, he said, “My wife Melissa’s recent epilepsy diagnosis and a new batch of memory issues have been hard, but we’re facing it together. Our two wonderful daughters are in college, but our youngest is just turning 13. Gator Nation needs a president who can keep charging hard, Melissa deserves a husband who can pull his weight, and my kids need a dad who can be home many more nights. I need to step back and rebuild more stable household systems for a time. I’m going to remain involved in serving our UF students…but I need to walk arm-in-arm with my dearest friend more hours of every week.”
What Sasse has done is not virtue-signaling. On the contrary, he has demonstrated the virtue that has been characteristic of his public life. If the greatest thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother, Sasse’s kids have no doubt that their dad is committed to their mother.
Sure, he once represented the State of Nebraska in Washington D. C., but he realizes that his most important seat is not in the Senate Chambers of our nation’s capital but at the supper table of his own home.
A good man does what is best for those around him. He realizes that he is a steward of what has been given to him. He works hard and cares well for his family.
Family is the core unit of our society. As goes the family, so goes the neighborhood. As goes the neighborhood, so goes the city. As goes the city, so goes the state. As goes the state, so goes the nation. As goes the nation, so goes the world.
Society does not need great men who stand in the halls of power or who lead large organizations. Our society needs good men—men like Ben Sasse who first and foremost are committed to their wives and children.
Todd E. Brady serves as Staff Chaplain and Advanced Funeral Planner at Arrington Funeral Directors. He and his wife, Amy have five sons. You may write to him at tbrady@afgemail.net.
