Where are the real leaders in the world today?

SOCIAL STUDIES - Published Monday April 20th, 2009

There has been talk lately about leadership. I suppose some of it stems from the relatively new slate of leaders that have cropped up in the international political world. In many ways these leaders have proven not to have been what people expect.

Take Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France, or Gordon Brown of England, for example. Both of them have been roundly criticized, mostly for not being the leaders of the past.

And it is not just them, comparisons abound. Is Stephen Harper the type of leader Canada used to have? Are the CEOs of companies anywhere near what the Rockefellers or Carnegies were in their day? Are the presidents of universities the powerhouse orators they once were? What about explorers? Does anyone rank anywhere up there with Sir Edmund Hillary? For that matter, where are the Ghandis and the Florence Nightingales, the Stalins and Gueveras?

Heck, we don't even have criminal masterminds like Al Capone anymore.

The reason I bring this up is that in many circles lately I have heard the argument being made that leaders do not exist anymore.

Or rather, that the people we look up to are not the type of people we once looked up to. What do you think?

If I asked you to name someone famous, who would be the first person to pop into your mind? I am willing to bet it is either an actor or a sports star.

If we had a contest and asked who you would most like to have dinner with, it would be or perhaps Hugh Jackman or Jessica Alba. Or maybe you would choose Anna Kournikova or Sydney Crosby.

Honestly, how many people chose Ban Ki-Moon?

As Secretary General of the United Nations I am sure Ban would make a much more interesting dinner companion. Even though he is chosen as the representative of "Earth," he is not even known to most people.

Ashton Kutcher has a contest going on right now. If he can get a million people to follow him on twitter he will donate 10,000 malaria nets. When you think about helping out in the Third World the first person that might cross your mind is Angelina Jolie.

Never mind the fact that for six decades we have had the United Nations Relief and Work Agency, which helps out over four million refugees, has 4,200 health workers in the field, and operates the largest school system in the Middle East.

The Commissioner- General of that organization is Koning AbuZayd; and I will readily admit I had to look all of these facts up myself -- which embarrasses me.

I know more about celebrities than leaders, and I think we as a society have confused the two.

This is to say, as has been argued in other circles, what we as society value is not what we used to value. Where once a person was valued for their skills as a speaker, for their take charge attitude, for the way in which they understood complex issues, for the moral certitude they exemplified; we now value individual finesse and theatrical stunts.

But how does this translate into the real world?

Let's start with kids. Do any of us dream of our children growing up to be world leaders? Or do we hope they never have to go through that? Do we dream of them being morally perfect, or of them making lots of money? Do we try to encourage them to think of others first, or to compete and be the best?

And what about we who have grown up?

Since we have more trust in celebrities than real leaders, how do we participate in the world? Or do we? Almost no one votes anymore, and I would argue it is because we have no faith that it makes any difference. It is better to see movies and buy albums so that the people who actually make a difference in the world can become rich and famous enough to do it well.

I guess I blame Bob Geldof for this. This is unfair, it is not really his fault, but way back in 1985 he organized the Live Aid concert to raise awareness and funds for Africa. Then there was the song, "Do they know it's Christmas?" and the whole genre of musicians and actors with social conscience was born.

Now Bono, lead singer of U2, has more clout that most world leaders. He can instantly get in to see anyone from the President of the United States to the Pope.

As an aside, both of these people are Irish. Which makes me think I should go back and read the book, "How the Irish Saved Civilization" which talks about the fact that during the dark ages of medieval history Ireland became an "island of saints and scholars." The monks and scribes that lived there laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West's written treasury while the barbarians sacked Rome. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.

Back to the real point: We are not cultivating a climate of leadership and we should be. I have nothing against celebrities, I want to be one, and when I am rich and famous I want to use my powers for good; so good on those who are.

At the same time, I want people like Winston Churchill, or John Diefenbaker; even a Kennedy to rise up and lead us, not just maintain the status quo or worry about their investments and legacy.

Perhaps Obama is such a person; we will have to wait and see how he rises to the occasion.

We need to place our value in more lasting understandings of fame and purpose. When we do, perhaps our children will grow up to make a difference.