Cymruambyth 
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People of ideas, passion and heart - people like Stephen Lewis (and no, Satguru, that's not the fellow from 'On the Buses'- he's a Canadian humanitarian activist who is involved in HIV/AIDS awareness programs), Jean Vanier, who founded L'Arche, Bishop Desmond Tutu the former Anglican Archbishop of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, Craig Kielburger, a young Canadian who, when he was a teenager, formed a foundation to help children around the world who were working in sweat shops or forced into child prostitution or to become child soldiers, Hannah Taylor, another young Canadian (she's not even in her teens yet) who heads the Ladybug Foundation to aid the homeless.
I don't consider politicians world leaders - they come and go - but ideas, passion and heart can change the world, or at least bits and pieces of it.
Reply #1. Nov 17 08, 12:05 PM
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Cymruambyth
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Hannah lives in my home town, Lesley, and she's an amazing little girl. She raised enough money to equip a 30-bed dormitory in one of our downtown missions so that the homeless could have a place to sleep. Our winter temperatures can dip as low as -40 degrees Celsius and that's no time to be sleeping under bridges. Hannah started her foundation when she was eight! My favourite Hannah story is about the time she collared the then-Prime Minister Paul Martin and asked him what his government was going to do about homelessness in Canada! fearless little girl.
Reply #3. Nov 18 08, 10:30 AM
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lesley153
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Surely if you slept outside in -40 you'd be lucky to wake up?
I agree that she is wonderful. I read that she first thought about what she's doing when she was five, and saw someone eating from a rubbish bin.
She and the Kielburgers, and other young people like them, needed to start off with the right parents, to encourage or allow them to be aware of problems, and then to come of with solutions and ways or helping. I'm sure most children would have looked, not thought about what they'd seen, and just looked away. Too many parents would have said What can you do? Nothing. You can't make a difference. You're only a child. Shut it and eat/watch the television. Don't get involved.
Just thought I'd throw that in, but probably need to apologise for stating the blindingly obvious. And for going off topic. I'll stop now.
Reply #4. Nov 18 08, 7:18 PM
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Dee30
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Appreciate your thoughts. May you both have a great day.
Reply #5. Nov 24 08, 10:17 PM
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lesley153
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Dee, do you have someone to nominate?
Reply #6. Nov 25 08, 7:34 AM
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Dee30
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I think that Billy Graham and his family should be among
the greats of our American society or even the world.
Many centers have been created around the world to reach
out to help in areas of need from the Graham family.
Many books have been created by them and lives have been
changed for the better.
Reply #7. Nov 28 08, 5:20 PM
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Cymruambyth
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I'd agree on Billy and Ruth, but I wouldn't put Franklin on that list. He's not in the same class as his mother and father.
Reply #8. Nov 29 08, 7:23 AM
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| jamacamistaka
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Currently there are none. Probably never has been. The world is far too complex for there to be any. Show me a great WORLD leader and I'll show you a compromised person.
I'm going to the Hamptons.
Borddog
Reply #9. Dec 04 08, 2:02 AM
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Dee30
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What is your idea of a compromised person?
Reply #10. Dec 06 08, 12:11 AM
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sherry75
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Have you made a comeback under another name Borddog? Maybe a biggermistaka... or is someone else using your old identity? All a bit bizarre.
Reply #11. Dec 09 08, 8:27 AM
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daver852
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My governor, Rod Blagojevich. He and the President-elect have worked together to make Illinois truly a workers' paradise.
Reply #12. Dec 09 08, 11:53 AM
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jordandog
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No tongue-in-cheek with that reply, eh, Dave?;)
Reply #13. Dec 09 08, 6:49 PM
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| poneke
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I'd like to vote for Nelson Mandela.
In fact blimmin well clone him (sorry God)as we need more than one.
Here is a man, labelled a terrorist and imprisoned for his beliefs; who upon his release was able to show such a degree of humility that it created a 'new' South Africa. A journey that has only just begun. That he could forgive not only his own fellow countrymen , but also those foreign Governments that supported the regime that stripped him of his rights as a human being in his own country. That he could walk free and smile and shake the hands of his oppressors and work with those same foreign Governments as a democratically elected leader.That he could find it inside himself to show forgiveness when countless others have understandably failed. That he made a conscious choice to do this as a lesson for others to see and learn.
This is about "Leadership"
Powerful.
Can we say with hand on heart that we are equally capable of such capacity for forgiveness?
Do we practice a fraction of it in our daily lives when small,petty,irksome worries(or people!) traverse our personal landscape? Most folk have a tendency to over-dwell on such things as being cut off in traffic or uncomplimentary comments!
That none of these qualities makes him a soft-touch ; he has a reputation for being a cunning and savvy negotiator.
This, for me at least; qualifies him for considerationas head of the UN.
But then an ex-criminal, former-terrorist, divorced primary school drop-out might be how some see my choice. I guess that's just perspective.
Reply #14. Jan 11 09, 6:54 AM
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