George Washington was a great leader because he had bad teeth. Not the narrative causality seen in any of his biographies, but certainly the critical cause. Terrible teeth have significant consequences, particularly in the 1700s.
It means spending lots of time with someone else’s hands in your mouth and in serious pain (listening to whatever this tooth doctor has to say to you, politely and attentively). This is the teacher of listening.
Unable to chew things or eat for long stretches, this is the teacher of patience.
Teeth, being one of the targets of the torturer, inflict amazing levels of pain upon the rest of the body when they fail and when they are fiddled with. This is the teacher of fortitude.
To be willing to sit through the excruciation of 18th century dentistry without laughing gas or anesthesia signals a belief that things can be better; this is the teacher of optimism in the face of adversity.
To experience and have faith that previously unknowable pain may be necessary to get to a better place. This is the teacher of instrumental action.
To lay oneself unto the mercy of another, who is a stranger. This is the teacher of trust.
To experience physical aggravation to the point of blacking out while lying still. This is the teacher of empathy.
To believe that it is purposeful to inflict extreme pain (tooth pulling, sawing, hammering) onto a stranger when there is a mutually held goal (a functioning mouth). This is the teacher of justified sacrifice.
To experience many hardships. This is the teacher of leaders.
Roman Ryan 