Leaders turn the world around

By Noralyn Dudt

A leader comes and unknowingly may turn the world around—forward, leftward, rightward or backward and even upside down—depending on what the leader does and how he does it.

Wherever we are today in our own little corner of the world, we are here or there because a leader decided to conquer a place, a leader decided to push for reforms  or a leader had the humility and grace to admit that a mistake has been made and decided to rectify it.

Leaders come in an array of forms, shapes and  colors but  one distinguishing  hallmark  of a good leader is the ability to  turn his orbit around and  leaves the world a better place than when he had found it.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th president of the United States treated those whom he encountered with honesty, humility, courage, justice  and grace. He came to power when the nation was in peril—a civil war was brewing—and he had the intelligence, the self-confidence and humility to know that he needed the best people by his side. He called forth the resources of the nation, appointed the agents of victory, set the strategy, and took the necessary steps to restrain those who would cooperate with people  who were against uniting the nation. He provided the rhetoric that stirred the people to recognize what is best for them and where he wanted the nation to go. As a result, the Union stayed united. Divisions were breached and wounds were healed. In his second inaugural address, Lincoln's  words were directed away from himself. Instead of words like "me" or "I", he used more inclusive words like "all" or "both" to draw attention to his broader intent. "With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right  as God gives us to see the light—let us strive to finish the  work we are in:  to bind up the nation's wounds,  to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting place among ourselves  and with all nations." With the humility and grace that Lincoln exemplified, the country could move forward. He attempted to rise above the divisiveness that the Civil War brought on. Instead of placing blame, or rejoicing in the sanctity of the imminent northern victory, Lincoln instead offered conciliatory words to citizens in both the North and the South. Throughout his address, he didn't talk about retribution or punishment,  themes that were expected by many in the North. Instead he called for peace among all Americans. He left us with one of the most memorable, empathetic, and eloquent paragraphs in presidential writings.

Going back to 356 BCE  we see  Alexander the Great, a passionate and decisive general who at the very young age of 25  had conquered the eastern Mediterranean,  Egypt,  the Middle East,  and parts of Asia in a remarkably short period of time. The empire he built ushered in significant cultural changes in the lands he conquered and altered  the course of the region's history. This fierce  and decisive warrior who said, "I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion"  also had a gentler side. He  was well-loved by his soldiers whom he regarded as equals -- in order to strengthen their spirits suffering from thirst in the desert,  Alexander the Great refused to drink any water until it was available for everyone. We see a very humble person who recognized his humanity  when he instructed his generals to (1) have only  his physicians carry his coffin to the grave  (2) to have all the wealth he had accumulated be displayed on the path leading to his grave when his coffin was being carried there  (3) to have both of his hands hang out of his coffin. He wanted the world to know that doctors were not the wizards who could cure every illness. He wanted the world to know that wealth we accumulate cannot be taken  with us to the grave.

The Hellenistic culture that was spread throughout Alexander's empire had a great impact on the spiritual revolution in the Greek and Roman world. It was a time  when old cults died or were fundamentally transformed. The changes paved the way for new religious movements especially Christianity as it was just then coming around the corner.  Alexander's conquest did turn the world around.

In 1867, Otto Von Bismarck started navigating through the loose conglomeration of principalities in the DeutscheSprache (German language) world and  brought  them into a united empire in 1871. Bringing together the disparate German states would have been an incredibly difficult accomplishment that required   leadership acumen and political savvy.   Bismarck was endowed with both. He had the foresight of a unified Germany becoming a major power in Europe and he possessed the diplomatic  skills and talent to achieve that vision. He saw that  a unified Germany could become an economic powerhouse.  The social insurance system that he crafted  is still at the heart of many developed countries today. One would not believe that a 19th century conservative statesman who was known as the "iron chancellor"  actually advocated a system once referred to as the "welfare state." Bismarck felt that German capitalism would thrive if workers were provided with certain social guarantees: health care, disability insurance,  and old age pensions. Germany did thrive and became  the  economic powerhouse that Bismarck had envisioned. It's rather ironic that the political innovator who created what might be labelled as the first "welfare state" was the "iron chancellor" of 19th century Germany. This Iron Chancellor turned the world around.

Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, the 34^th president of the United States was considered one of America's greatest military commanders. As Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force in Europe, he planned and supervised the invasion of Normandy (D-Day), a military feat that brought the end of  the Second World War in Europe. He saw what the Autobahn meant to Germany and how efficiently it was used to transport Hitler's troops during the 2nd World War. The war came to an end, but another "war" loomed -- the Cold War. There was a threat of an atomic  bomb dropping on America's towns and cities. As president,  Eisenhower  signed the legislation that would fund the construction of the U.S. Interstate Highway System in 1956. He saw this  network of controlled access highways as a way to evacuate cities in the event of an atomic bomb attack. Building the interstates gave engineers a chance to show off their skills in designing and constructing 41,000 miles of highways, 16,000 entrances and exits, nearly 55,000 bridges and overpasses, and scores of tunnels. It brought tremendous change in how Americans travelled and transported goods from coast to coast,  from north to south, from towns to cities, from the prairies to the mountains. Eisenhower turned the world around.

About the same time that President Eisenhower was having the interstate highways built,  another president was "turning" the world where he was. Trying to tame the Hukbalahap (communist movement) whose goal was to destabilize the government in post war Philippines would have been a difficult undertaking but Ramon Magsaysay, the 7^th president of the Philippines exemplified a leader who could do the job: honest, instinctive, trustworthy, and one who understood the needs of the common man. The Magsaysay 10^th credo stated, "I believe that the president should set the example of a big heart, an honest mind, sound instincts, the virtue of healthy impatience and an abiding love for the common man." He lived that credo and upon his death, the Magsaysay Award was established by the Trustees of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. It's often called the "Nobel Peace Prize of Asia." It's an annual award that was established to perpetuate Magsaysay's example of integrity in governance, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The awards have traditionally been given in the following categories:  outstanding contributions in Government Service, Public Service and Community Leadership;  Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts;  Peace and International Understanding; Emergent Leadership. As the premier prize and the most prestigious in Asia, it's well coveted. The first award was given in 1958 to Vinoba Bhave of India under the category of Community Leadership.

Magsaysay's integrity and courage saved the young Republic from descending into chaos which could have easily ended up on the communist side. Lincoln's humility, pragmatism and good judgment saved the Union from breaking apart, preparing the nation for its golden age that was about to come. Bismarck's intelligent foresight and pragmatism gave the world a model for social insurance system that provided workers  security in the workplace and upon retirement. Eisenhower's confidence, decisiveness and

good judgment resulted in better infrastructure that promoted trade, communication and cultural exchange.

And finally, the Hellenism brought about by Alexander's conquests contributed to the fertile  soil  that nurtured a culture for the future generations that raised Lincoln, Bismarck,  Eisenhower and Magsaysay.

Turning the world around requires a tremendous amount of  pragmatism, humility, empathy, integrity, decisiveness, confidence, endurance, courage, dependability, and good judgment in leaders who want to lead and leave the world a better place. The world is in need  for such leaders and people wait in anticipation.

 

Next topic: The young maiden who turned the world upside-down.