Nelson Mandela was the co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Peace
Prize he shared the award with Frederik Willem de Klerk. Mandela had a
very interesting upbringing and young life, he was born one of 13
children. His father had four wives, and Mandela was born to the third
wife. He was the leader of an anti-government organization and
orchestrated many bombings and sabotaging escapades for which he was
imprisoned. After his release, Mandela launched himself into politics
once again, only this time it resulted in his election as president, instead of
imprisonment. Mandela is now 94 years old and resides in Johannesburg.
South Africa is now fairly stable but has an
injured economy.
 |
| The Dalai Lama's Winter residence--Living in humble simplicity. |
The Dalai Lama is a position of
religious power created by the Mongolians in the late 14
th
century.
The name the full Mongolian
title of Dalai Lama means the wonderful Vajradhara, good splendid meritorious
ocean, often summarized as The Ocean of Wisdom.
Some of the past Dalai Lamas have been overthrown for their lack of self-discipline.
There is naturally a conflict between China
and the Dalai Lama because of the Dalai Lama’s Mongolian origins.
China and Mongolia do not have a very
amicable history, in fact they are known for their relentless wars and conflicts.
In a modern perspective, the Dalai Lama
stands for world peace, and being one with everything.
China, on the other hand, stands for large
armies, large corporations, large government, large bank accounts communism and
small regard for human existence.
I have
respect for the Dalai Lama, however, I do not remotely agree with his religious
views.
I do like his passion, and
determination… and his house
