Do impressions matter?

They do if one is trying to win the heart of a fair lady. Do impressions of a country matter? What if one is mistaken or one judges on irrelevant criteria? The Christian Bible teaches that it is the things of the heart which matter to God. What if I were to come to your house as an invited guest in a dishevelled state - how would that differ from my coming to your house in a dishevelled state owing to having just had an accident? What if I were uncouth? (what is it to be couth?). A country shows respect for visitors by cleaning up the streets and by putting up banners of welcome. I am treated most courteously by most of the people here. When I was invited as a guest into a West Taraka village the other day, I saw the things of the heart and I was impressed. I hope I didn't do or say the wrong thing - if so it was unintentional because my heart was trying to reciprocate their respect for me. It is why countries have protocol departments - to ensure that the things of the heart are not misinterpreted. So what is it that makes the things of the heart shine out and make irrelevant things diminish? Where are today's leaders of the heart - Mahatma Gandhi? Martin Luther King? Nelson Mandela? Vaclav Havel? Kemal Ataturk? Why has the world - particularly the Western world become so hung up on show ponies and celebrities?