I found it strange that Saturday, December 17th, 2011, marked the passing of two markedly different world leaders whose legacies and places in history couldn't be further apart. The first leader, North Korean ruler Kim Jong Il, passed away at age 69 of a heart attack. He will be remembered as a man who managed to maintain one of the world's most oppressive dictatorships, starving many of people in his quest for military power and prominance. He refused to liberalize the communist economy of his nation even as many of his people struggled in abject poverty. He indulged himself in luxuries and strange fashion at the expense of his people and kept families separated by the militarized border between his country and South Korea.
The second leader, Vaclav Havel, led the 1989 "Velvet Revolution" which overthrew the Czech Communist Government and was elected President in their first democratic elections. Beloved and revered, he was 75 when he passed away. His slogan, "May truth and love triumph over lies and hatred." stands in contrast to the saber-rattling legacy of Kim Jong Il.
When I stop and think about these two deaths, Havel's words from his 1997 book, "The Art of the Impossible: Politics as Morality in Practice," ring out: "None of us—as an individual—can save the world as a whole, but . . . each of us must behave as though it were in his power to do so..."
These words give me hope the Christmas season of a day when oppressive dictators and leaders who prey upon people will be removed and displaced by peace and freedom and a genuine concern for the general welfare of all people. A world where we will see more Havels and the Kim Jong Ils will be extinct. Maybe we can't do it alone, but let us act as though we possess that kind of power. May we be instruments of peace in the true spirit of Christmas.
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