The 20th century has had its fair share of inspirational leaders both good and bad, from politicians to religious leaders. They are people who, either deliberately or by divine providence, became known as great leaders. Many chose a life of poverty, sacrifice and example to show others how to find peace. The following are just five examples of the many people who have influenced the lives of millions.
Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
Born into a peasant family, and recognized at just two years of age as the reincarnation of his predecessor, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has become more than just a leader of the Tibetan people. Thrust into the role of Head of State and Government for Tibet at 16 years of age, His Holiness led his people against China. After the Chinese occupied Tibet in 1959, he was forced into exile in India, establishing “Little Lhasa,” the seat of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile. His Holiness is the first Dalai Lama to extend his influence beyond his own people. Through his tireless work to establish links with other faiths and between countries, the Dalai Lama is world-renowned as a scholar and man of peace. He takes regular opportunities to speak publicly, calling for mutual respect and better understanding between the faiths. The Dalai Lama speaks constantly of the need for global responsibility and compassion.
Mahandas Gandhi
World-renowned as the pioneer of resistance through mass civil disobedience, Mohandas Gandhi was born into a political family. At a young age, Gandhi was influenced by his devout mother and the regional traditions of Jain, including compassion and tolerance towards others. Through his education in England to his early career in South Africa, Gandhi was also influenced by the acceptance and racism he experienced. His first major clash with the British in his native India was in 1918 when the British levied a tax on already desperately poor people. He began leading protests and strikes against the local landlords who were mainly British and he began the famous “non-cooperation” technique of peaceful protest as his “weapon” against the British. Gandhi spoke out against both the violence of Indians and of the British Raj. As part of his expansion of non-violence, Gandhi developed the technique of “swadeshi,” the boycott of foreign-made goods. Gandhi was assassinated in 1948 but his principles of truth, non-violence, vegetarianism, Brahamacharya (spiritual and practical purity, celibacy and asceticism), simplicity in life, and faith remain as beacons to those seeking a spiritual life.
Mother Teresa
Anges Gonxha Bojaxhiu was reputedly born on the 26th August, 1910. Called by God to serve others at the age of 12, she joined the Irish Sisters of Loreto and was sent to India. The extreme poverty of the area moved her to seek permission to work in the slums of Calcutta, and thus began her outreach that would touch the lives of many across the world. She founded The Missionaries of Charity whose task was to love those that no one else would care for. Today, the work of Mother Teresa continues, with volunteers working with the poorest of all people, not just in India but across the world. In death, Mother Teresa continues to inspire people everywhere to understand more about a life of sacrifice and love for their fellow man.
Pope John Paul II
As Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, Pope John Paul II is recognized as one of the most influential leaders of the century. Credited for his crucial role in ending communism across Europe, he also reached out the hand of friendship to other faiths. He established relations with Judaism, the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Anglican Communion. He visited 129 countries and became one of the most travelled world leaders of all time. Criticized from outside the Catholic Church for his stance on issues such as contraception, abortion and the ordination of women, Pope John Paul wrote extensively on the dignity of women and the importance of family for mankind’s future, saying, “As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live.” He was known as The Pope for Youth and emphasized the role of young people in the Church. Revered by Catholics around the world, since his death, both they and non-Catholics have taken to referring to the late Pope as “John Paul the Great,” an honor given to only four Popes since the first millennium.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
The legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. is personified in the election of Barack Obama as President of the United States. To Americans and people around the world, Martin Luther King, Jr., or MLK as he is affectionately known to many, is the man who, along with John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, made significant inroads in the area of poverty and civil rights for minorities. Recognized as a martyr by some churches, MLK was a clergyman and activist. His work to end segregation and discrimination by using the non-violent methods developed by Gandhi is widely credited as impacting race relations, not just in the United States but far further afield. Even today, the words of his famous “I have a dream” speech resound across the world.
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