We have been reading about some influential figures, namely Aung San Suu Kyi and Dave Brubeck. When we think of inspirational leaders, we usually think about those who have changed our world for the better... Those important figures that make us as individuals want to be better people.
However, leaders also have the influence to mislead and to misinform. We can find ourselves following the wrong leader down the wrong path. If not the wrong path, a strange path that gets us into one kind of trouble or another.
In this journal blog, I would like you to consider this question. Can you think of an example of a leader who has had great influence and many followers, but whose message may not be something we would admire. Why do so many people become inspired by these kinds of leaders?
Please include your ID# in your post. Aj. M
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ReplyDeleteOne of the example of a leader who has a great influence is Martin Luther King Jr., Minister and Leader of the American Civil Rights Movement because he created a morale support for everybody and this why many people follow him. This is one of the famous quote of him. “We all have the drum major instinct. We all want to be important, to surpass others, to achieve distinction, to lead the parade…. And the great issue of life is to harness the drum major instinct. It is a good instinct if you don’t distort it and pervert it. Don’t give it up. Keep feeling the need for being important. Keep feeling the need for being first. But I want you to be the first in love. I want you to be the first in moral excellence. I want you to be the first in generosity.” —Martin Luther King Jr.
Civil rights in the US is a continued struggle in that culture, and MLK's voice for that cause seemed to capture the imagination of people around the world.
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ReplyDeleteMahatma Gandhi is one of the examples of a leader who has great influence and many followers. He is considered the father of indian indipendence movement. He also spent 20 years in South Africa working to fight discrimination. He spent his remaining years working diligently to both remove British rule from India as well as to better the lives of India's poorest classes. Many civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., used Gandhi's concept of non-violent protest as a model for their own struggles. There is one of his famous inspiring quotes “Nobody can hurt me without my permission.”, said Gandhi.
Winning political struggles without violence showed us that armies were not necessary for defeating empires. It seems we haven't learned Gandhi's message.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the leaders that can inspire many people is Nelson Mandela. He was the president of South Africa who against the apartheid or the system that segregate non-white people from white people, and there is no equality between people in their country. He fought for this for many years, and after he emerged from the prison, he lead his country to non apartheid system. So that everyone in his country can have a freedom and fairness to do things as he said that "we enter into a covenant that we shall build a society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without and fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity – a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world."
His funeral this year was the first that I've seen in my lifetime when one man was so universally respected.
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ReplyDeleteNot only prime minister or the president can be a leader. One of the example of a leader who has had great influence and many followers is Angelina Jolie. She was a drug addict, but she quit for a long time and improve herself. She devotes her money and works for many charities continuously such as UNICEF, Doctors Without Borders and Global Action for Children. She is not only the famous actress who receive academy awards, but she is also a humanitarian. She is an ambassador of UNHCR since 2001. She focused on population displacement and humanities. She travelled to visit refugees in 40 countries around the world. She is one of leaders who conflict this issue. In addition, she also adopts three children who come from Cambodia, Vietnam and Ethiopia. She tries to spend her time, money and energy on charities to assist people who have difficulties around the world.
Because of her celebrity status, she is able to bring attention to world issues that many don't pay attention to.
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ReplyDeleteWhen people hear the name “Adolf Hitler”, the first thing that occurs in their mind might be various, some are good and some are bad. Adolf Hitler is the person who triggered the Second World War. Throughout the WW2 Hitler had created several weird ideologies, from Germany reauthorization to human experiment, somehow these ideals had influence the majority of German. He committed the Holocaust without any valid purpose; he built several death camps to cope with his slaves- Jewish and veteran. However, he is the one who establish Volkswagen, the one that came up with space exploration ideal. Today, some people still greeting him and some still curse him. He partial inspires the people who want to become a leader by his deliberation and imagination – he used his mouth to domesticate people not weapon or violence. In conclusion, Hitler is bad, but, without him, how can people define the horror of war, how can Volkswagen exists and how can people remain in peace for this long period.
Well, be careful about this one. I will never understand the fascination of Hitler in Thailand. For the rest of the world, he is a symbol of complete evil. But in Thailand, he seems to be a goofy cartoon character... The view of Hitler outside of Thailand is not so "various."
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ReplyDeleteOne of the famous leaders that has had great influence and many followers is that John Fitzgerald Kennedy or JFK. He was the 35th President of the United States. He fought for US among many crises after World War 2. There are some noteable events during his presidency included the prevention of communist doctrine for democracy. Moreover, he stopped Soviet's nuclear test, created NASA project, and used resistance of radical discrimination policy. All his works maked him to be the great President. Many Americans believed in his ideal and his esteem for the country. Unfortunately, he was assassinated during his campaign in 1963. From the man who worked with concious of responsibility for citizens, he inspired people with the unforgetable quote "My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country".
John F. Kennedy
And his tragic and early death has made his memory ever more powerful in peoples' minds.
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ReplyDeleteIf Aung San Suu Kyi is the light of Burmese and great leader who fought for her country. There was a leader in Cambodia who guided his people in the opposite direction, his name was " Pol Pot". Pol Pot was a Cambodian communist revolutionary or Khmer Rouge who closed the country for a long time. He believed that Cambodian should do farming and agriculture. He closed down schools and hospitals. Moreover, he forced many citizens to work in countryside areas.Pol Pot wanted to make Cambodia civilized as it used to be in the past. Many people agreed in his idea of communism. During his power, more that 1.5 million people died because of torturing, food suffering and many innocent people had been killed until it called the "killing field". Finally there were many people who went against him and with the cooperation from Vietnam, the Khmer Rouge headquarter was destroyed in 1985 and Pol Pot died in 1998 due to the heart failure.
Pol Pot might had a good idea of governing the country and has a powerful ability to convinced many people but he was drunk in power and blinded to think about the morality and ethic of killing people.
His 4 years of rule has left Cambodia mostly paralyzed, even until now. A whole generation of people were killed, and it is hard to believe that such evil can inspire such a movement.
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ReplyDeleteDalai Lama is one of the leader who has great influence and followed by many people around the world. He is the spiritual leader of Tibetan people and also other nationalities that interested in his concepts. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. He has campaigned tirelessly for peace, nonviolence, democracy, and reconciliation among the world religions for over 50 years. He traveled around the world talking about the importance of compassion as the source of happy life. Most people can easily absorb the concept of peaceful and touch in through people's mind. Around the world, most people do have religious believe and they finding for right idol to follow in order to success in their lives. With many followers around the world, Dalai Lama is one of the best leader that guides people to real happiness in their lives.
And he is probably most known for his standing up to China to keep Tibet a free area. This is why he continues to be a controversial leader.
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ReplyDeleteAbraham Lincoln is one of the most famous leader and president of America that has great influence and many followers. He was the 16th president of the United States who leads the Union to win over the Confederacy during civil-war. He ends the slavery in the United States by signed the 13th Amendment. Lincoln is a leader that has powerful speech, good vision and listens to other people idea. His quote “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves” influence all the slavery to fight for their freedom and made the United States as one country.
The United States would arguable not be "united" if it were not for the leadership of Lincoln.
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ReplyDeleteOne of the powerful leaders and presidents of Thailand that has great influence and many followers is Thaksin Shinawatra. He also was the foundation of Shin Corporation and Thai Rak Thai Party which both are very famous in Thailand. When we was the president, he did many great things to develop and encourage the quality of Thai people lives such as 30bath project. It is remaining project that could help many poor residents to be cured with only a few money. Moreover, there are many great plans that he did for Thais. This shows that Thaksin was one of the capable leader in the country which could lead and put Thai people together. However, as a consequence of his corruption, he had no choice but to leave Thailand illegally. Even though he did a bad thing that Thai residents should not forget about it, many of us still be his followers and wait for his come back.
Certainly one of the most influential people in the history of this country, and his legacy is one that causes so much tension in Thai politics and Thai life. You are right that if you travel not too far north from here, the stories of him change quite dramatically from the ones you hear around this place.
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ReplyDeleteAngela Merkel is one of the most famous leader and premier of Germany and European Union. May be, now, she is the most international successful leader in the world. She has great influence and many followers because she has to lead the largest world organization in economy. Her quote "Nobody in Europe will be abandoned. Nobody in Europe will be excluded. Europe only succeeds if we work together" and "Whoever decides to dedicate their life to politics knows that earning money isn't the top priority." indicate that she dedicate for European completely.
She seems to me to be the smartest leader in the world today. I'm not sure how she does it, but she manages somehow to keep Europe united and helps to support the tensions between economies there, yet at the same time maintains her popularity in her own country... quite amazing.
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ReplyDeleteJoaquín Balaguer is the most influential president of The Dominican Republic. He revolutionized the laws about forest because natural resources in this country was destroyed rapidly. Thus, he legislated the new laws to protect the natural resources in his country, even though the regulation is kind of dictator. The punishment for people who destroyed forests was extremely harsh. However, he could save the natural resources and make the state more stable.
Very interesting choice... and the point about protecting forests there is an important one. If you look at a satellite image of the Dominican, you will see the border between it and its neighbour, Haiti, very clearly... as Haiti has no trees.
DeleteThis journal blog is closed. Thank you for your participation. Aj. M
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