Nothing else in the world…not all the armies…is so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
-Victor Hugo
His Holiness, The Dalai Lama
To be a leader—to have leadership qualities—is a characteristic that
people can generally recognize when they see it. When you think of a
leader, what is the first quality that comes to mind…that she/he is
powerful? Inspirational? A visionary for change? Courageous?
Intelligent? Authentic? Has integrity? Competent? Lives by high moral
standards? Ethical? Tolerant? Compassionate? The transformational
leaders in the 21st Century will be focused on global peace, and to
attain that golden goal, leaders will not be interested in having power
over others. Instead, leaders will seek to inspire the cultures of the
globe by practicing Ethical Leadership, making tolerance and respect
among all societies the top priority. These leaders will help people
learn to find the power within themselves so they will no longer fear
their neighbors and instead build bridges of cooperation and trust. When
a total commitment is made to tolerance and respect within each culture
as well as among all societies, world peace will at last be achieved.
The transformational leaders who emerge, whether within one of the
hundreds of cultures around the world, or upon the world stage, will
model the ethics, or standards, shared by all humankind–the first being
to live in peace made possible through tolerance and respect for others.
Great leaders will Walk the Walk.
The Desmond Tutu Peace Foundation believes that among young people
around the world today, there are many men and women for whom the vision
of world peace is unquestioned as the only path forward. Dr. Tutu has
said that “The young people of today are the best hope we have for
transforming cultures of war and violence into cultures of peace and
prosperity. By providing people, ages 15-25, with interactive and
stimulating opportunities to learn about and embrace moral and ethical
practices, they are more likely to engage in and foster the principles
of non-violence, equality, compassion and integrity in their societies.”
These leaders will reflect a kind of spiritual pragmatism where many
spiritual concepts come together with the shared values of compassion,
tolerance, respect, and love for all living things—and the belief in and
support for global Peace. Together we can create a world that, while
gloriously diverse, maintains a standard of living for all where no
person will want for food, shelter, education, and dreams of a future
that will be realized.
The new leaders coming of age now have among their role models
Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Former President of South Africa Nelson
Mandela, and His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, three of the most influential
peacemakers the world has ever known. The great legacy of these
extraordinary people will be the Ethical Leadership of each, which
results in the end of war and violence, and transforms life on Earth as
humanity reaches the Golden Goal of Global Peace.
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