From a Buddhist perspective, the foundational qualifications for any leader are, simply, compassion and kindness. These two qualifications do not equal weakness or appeasement.
It means understanding, at a deep level, the suffering of others, both friends and enemies. It also means taking principled approaches to alleviating suffering or at the very least, not increasing suffering.
It is the Golden Rule in practice and not in political pandering. (Today), many enjoy finding fault with the policies of the “other” party and work very hard at creating a liberal versus conservative polemic. During the dark days of the Depression and into horrors of World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt was our leader.
He had a saying that is quite powerful and meaningful and especially important today, “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fiber of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.” It seems we have not demanded from our leaders this basic truth: We do not have to be cruel to be tough.
If the foundation of our leaders is based on compassion and kindness, they will not succumb to the cruelty that can easily be justified. Rather, they will address tough issues with an understanding of our common humanity and search for truly noble solutions.
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