The desire to be not just "great" but also good.

[Boojatta]

According to some religions, there will be a great leader who will bring peace to the world. Consider any country that is not a democracy. Its leader already has a prominent position.

What is such a leader most likely to be thinking?

1. "The bringer of world peace will be someone who has real integrity, so it couldn't be me."

2. "I just want power, luxuries, and a supply of up-to-date celebrity gossip. Who needs world peace?"

3. "Only fools consider world peace to be a possibility."

4. "What if I bring peace to the world and all the history books give credit to someone else? I'm not going to lift a finger for world peace unless I get an iron-clad guarantee from the history book writers that my contribution will be recognized."

5. "I hope that I will succeed in bringing peace to this troubled world. I am working on it."

[ret5hd]

1. so, you're trying to tell us that...

the leader of this country (who stole elections, enriches himself family and peers on the backs of the poor, and started a war that has killed tens of thousands)...

is doing all this because he's striving for world peace?

[Boojatta]

2. No. What thought process led to that question? Should I change the

sequence of possibilities that I listed? I put the positive one last to compensate for the cynicism of all the others. Also, I thought it was clear that I was talking about no one country in particular.

[TallahasseeGrannie]

9. I've often wondered if he believes that

because otherwise he has to look in the mirror and think, "Damn, I'm evil."

[BITERIGHT]

3. Or, how about...

...someone who says 'world peace may not be a realistic goal. There are too many variables that are outside my control/the control of one country. If we DID have that kind of control, we'd have to force millions of people to live the way WE wanted them to--and that wouldn't be very peaceful, and it flies in the face of our stand on human rights and self-determination. I need to rethink my goals'.

[Boojatta]

4. That sounds similar to 3: "Only fools consider world peace possible."

There are too many variables that are outside my control/the control of one country.

If you didn't have the skills necessary to be a competent kindergarten teacher, but you had that job, and if your class were out of control, then what would prevent you from saying, "There are too many variables that are outside my control"?

If we DID have that kind of control, we'd have to force millions of people to live the way WE wanted them to

I agree that if you are unable to understand people and influence them peacefully, then you might resort to force. Are you assuming that you would be unable to understand people and influence them peacefully?

[Boojatta]

5. Are you assuming that there is no peaceful road to peace?

Is it possible that the effort to be the one who brings world peace might, if applied by the leaders of enough nations, itself tend to increase the amount of peace in the world?

Perhaps I should not have used the words "if your class were out of control." Perhaps I should have asked this question:

If you didn't have the skills necessary to be a competent kindergarten teacher, but you had that job, and if your students were slapping and spitting at each other when they were supposed to be learning, then what would prevent you from saying, "There are too many variables that are outside my control"?

[Boojatta]

6. Any comments or questions? e.o.m.

[gordianot]

7. We are still Primates self aware and increasingly aware of our Universe.

Unfortunately we still seek an alpha leader. This needs to evolve.

[saltpoint]

8. Boojatta, your question hangs on no hook.

It shoves all prominent leaders of non-democracies into one category, and that doesn't work right off the bat.

Such leaders are rarely there by happenstance; they have plotted and planned and schemed and manipulated their way into prominence. Power does motivate them more than philosophical pursuits. There are exceptions, but I wouldn't go looking for 'good' in despots and expect to find much.

I'd look at poets and dancers and gardeners and good parents first. It seems more likely to be in greater evidence where it's actually practiced.