Greetings;
Not many people responded to my request for the names of “societal transformation leaders”. A number of people said that “it would be easy to nominate people who are deceased; it’s much harder to find people who are living who satisfy all three criteria!”
From the comments and suggestions mentioned to me, there are nine people who fit all three criteria of a “societal transformation leader”:
|
HEAD (Advances a new social theory; articulates a unique point-of-view; puts useful and appropriate focus on ancient wisdom) |
HEART (Inspires others to act; spiritual/ transcendent focus; practice of compassion & inclusivity) |
HANDS (Commitment to activist practice; theories grounded in own life experience) |
|
| Abdullah, Sharif (x3) | M | Abdullah, Sharif | Abdullah, Sharif (Sri Lanka; Nepal; US) |
| Ariyaratne, A.T.
|
M | Ariyaratne, A.T. | Ariyaratne, A.T. (Sri Lanka) |
| Carter, Jimmy | M | Carter, Jimmy | Carter, Jimmy (Middle East; world) |
| Dalai Lama
|
M | Dalai Lama | Dalai Lama (Tibet; Global) |
| Kyi, Aung San Suu
|
F | Kyi, Aung San Suu | Kyi, Aung San Suu (Burma) |
| Hahn, Thich Nhat | F | Hahn, Thich Nhat | Hahn, Thich Nhat (Vietnam; world) |
| Havel, Vaclav (x4) | M | Havel, Vaclav | Havel, Vaclav (Czechoslovakia; Europe; world) |
| Macy, Joanna | F | Macy, Joanna | Macy, Joanna (Sri Lanka; US) |
| O’Dea, James (X2) | M | O’Dea, James | O’Dea, James (Global – Amnesty Int’l & Seva Fdn) |
There were a number of entries who (in my humble opinion) met two but not all three criteria (or, it was at least questionable whether they met all three). These “Honorable Mentions” include:
Grace Boggs
F. W. de Klerk
Mikhail Gorbachev
Hazel Hendershon
Jean Houston
Nelson Mandela
Do you agree with these lists? Do you question some entries? Are you now thinking of people who could be included? Are there people on the “Honorable Mention” list that you believe deserve FULL mention?
I will leave this open for a few more days, to collect your valuable input. Please record your thoughts and comments below.
Peace,
Sharif
I would nominate for consideration Mata Amritanandamayi, affectionately known to the millions (yes, millions!) she has hugged as “The Hugging Saint,” or simply “Amma.” If showering people with unconditional love were not enough, Amma also oversees innumerable humanitarian efforts. To name a few: orphanages, schools, pensions for women; hospitals; universities; environmental causes; outreach to prisoners; and feeding the homeless. Her organization has built tens of thousands of houses, primarily for those decimated by earthquakes and the tsunami. She was awarded the Ghandi-King Award for Non-violence in or around 2004. I don’t believe anyone alive today has directly impacted more people than Amma.
When I read your first line, my response was “who’s that”? When I got to “Amma”, my response was “of course”! Thanks for the contribution!
I like Bill McKibben with 350, Paul Hawken with Blessed Unrest. But my vote goes for Riane Eisler for her partnership work, and Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Revolution. More women. There are plenty of them.
Nice exercise.
[Sharif's reply back to John R:]
Greetings;
I don’t know about Gorbachev’s role with “Green Cross”. I’ll give it a look…
Havel’s “Velvet Revolution” did for Eastern Europe what Gorby did for the Soviet Union as a whole: made an inevitable process NONVIOLENT. And, he got to do it twice, when he let Slovakia cede, without a shot.
Peace,
Sharif
[John's reply back to Sharif:]
Sharif…Gorby…What about founding Green Cross?
Havel…great quotes, leadership but what happened?…lost of Baltic States came to be.
[My comment to John Renesch:]
Greetings;
How DARE you put me lower in the rankings!
Seriously: If I added your criteria of “major global impact” as a fourth criteria, the men you named would be right there at the top of a very short list.
My reason for not naming them — I cannot name a social change theory that Mandela, de Klerk and/or Tutu articulated. I could be wrong, or overlooking something.
The reason for not naming Gorbachev: he “wins” in the category of thought-leader (glastnost and perestroika) and has had a huge impact (helping the world avoid the first NUCLEAR civil war), but comes up short in the “compassionate activist” department.
My question for you: You did not mention Havel. Any reason?
Peace,
Sharif
[This entry from John Renesch:]
Sharif, I would only include those who had major global impact of a transformational nature. To me those are Mandela and de Klerk for their partnership with Tutu (yes, I would add him) in avoiding civil war/rioting in SA and creating a model for reconciliation for the entire world…. and Gorbachev for his role in ending the cold war. Everyone else, despite my appreciation for what they did and are doing, are lower in the rankings.
Happy holidays,
John Renesch
Love all choices except I am not familiar with Joanna Macy. Will google her eventually but not convenient now. Feel the list is a bit weighted with Sri Lanka activists.
Did I mention cosmologist Brian Swimme in my original nominee list? He’s amazing and very influential. How come Bill McKibbbon didn’t make the honorable mention cut? How about Barbara Marx Hubbard??
Fun to follow your process here.
As ever, Connie Weiss
Bill McKibben, Duane Elgin, Bill McDonough, Christopher Alexander and others I’ve put on a list I’m labeling “Thought Leaders” — people who have definitely influenced our thinking around societal transformation, but whose work is less grounded in compassion and/or action. And, I could be wrong about this!
Yes, my friend Barbara Marx Hubbard definitely fits two of the three criteria. (I need to refer to the second list by something more outstanding and respectful than “honorable mention”.)
OOPS! Apologies to Brother Thay…
S.