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People can be more important than leaders.
Her Majesty Queen Noor of Jordan, Rabbi Irwin Kula and the international leader of Shambhala Buddhism, Sakyong Jamgön Miphon Rinpoche spoke about the power of individuals over the power of figureheads at Tufts University last night.
The panelists discussed looking inward for compassionate leadership rather than looking to others to set examples. Though all panelists stemmed from different regional and religious backgrounds, all members agreed current world leaders needed to step outside historical footsteps to create trails of their own.
Rabbi Kula said he wants to create an environment that distances itself from tired ideas.
"We rely on this savior model to bail us out," he said. "By doing so, we are abdicating responsibility."
Kula also urged the audience to find some partial truth in the views or opinions that opposed their own.
"The people you despise are just as committed to justice as you are," he said. "Their definition of justice just may be different."
Rabbi Kula said he saw more genuine compassion, graciousness and gratitude when he was in Rwanda, a war torn, impoverished country, than he has seen in more affluent areas of the world.
Rinpoche said to instill compassion in leaders, the individual must look inward.
"We must exude strength or compassion when we expect leaders to," Rinpoche said. "As soon as you get out of the sphere of just me, you have the reflectance and introspection to see where you are going."
Queen Noor said she drew inspiration from leaders around the globe. Growing up in the United States, she said she looked to Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy for inspiration. She called her late husband, His Majesty King Hussein bin Talal of Jordan, a compassionate leader.
"Never, ever give up and stop trying because that is the way we will make change," she said.
Dave Delcourt, a website creator, said the idea that compassionate leadership began at the grassroots level intrigued him.
"To me, it was interesting that they concentrated on the idea of compassionate leadership starting from the ground up," Dave Delcourt, makemesustainable.com cofounder, said.
Tufts sophomore Lily Bond said the event was interesting, but too short.
"The panelists had such fantastic backgrounds and fantastic stories, I would have liked to hear more."
Harvard Medical student Sarah Kimball said she thought the panel excelled, because it was a cohesive group.
"What I found interesting was the similarities between the panelists despite dramatically different backgrounds," she said.
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