Nonel Peace Prize: Martin Luther King and The Dalai Lama - Term Paper Example

Nobel Prize is considered one of the most distinguished recognition in the world. It has been instituted and awarded every year since 1901 in areas of physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature and for peace. This international award administered by Nobel Foundation in Stockholm, Sweden has till date reached to people of distinguished honor from every part of the world. Till the year 2012, 862 Laureates has been bestowed with the award. This has included 21 unique organizations as well. In recognition of their contributions in peace building and maintaining social order, 93 Nobel prizes has been given away in the field of peace (Nobelprize.org, 2013). Respect for peace builders has been a prime vision of Alfred Nobel, the visionary behind the introduction of Nobel Prize. As per his will a portion of the award is dedicated for “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses" (Nobelprize.org, 2013). Thus it is very clear that peace has been an area of focus for the Nobel Prizes. In 1964, this award was given away to the legendary advocate of social equity and peace, Martin Luther King Jr. His struggles in attaining racial equity were recognized here. Further in 1989, the 14th Dalai Lama received the Nobel Prize being honored for his universal responsibility of peace (Nobelprize.org, 2013). Though these leaders belonged to two different cultural, social and political spaces, their contribution to humanity and the world were characterized by similar values. Though the lives and challenges were different, the values and their goals in a holistic perspective were very similar. The objective of this essay is to compare these two leaders in terms of their achievements, values and the implications of their works on future generations. The biographical analysis of Martin Luther King Jr. and the 14th Dalai Lama indicates large contrasts in their backgrounds. The political and sociological backgrounds that they belonged to, in their childhood differed entirely. Martin Luther King was born on 15 January 1929, in Atlanta, United States (Nobelprize.org, 2013). His family had a pastoral background as his father and Grandfather were pastors with Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. Even Martin Luther used to serve the church as a co-pastor helping his father. He did his schooling in Georgia and later did his graduation from Morehouse College. It has to be noted here that this college had a black background and had a distinguished placement within the Diaspora of Afro Americans. Dalai Lama was born in Tibet to parents who were peasants. Till the age of two, he had a very normal as any little boy in the Tibetan neighborhood. In the age of two his holiness was identified and he was declared the next Dalai Lama (Nobelprize.org, 2013). He had thus got into his life mission early in his childhood. Comparing this with Martin Luther King, it can be found that both of them, early in the childhood had exposure to philosophical and spiritual values. However, these philosophies differed a lot especially in terms of the religious affiliations. When Dalia Lama was brought up in the Buddhist religious system, Martin Luther King had a Protestant Christian Background. However, it is worth nothing here that both these religious are based on the philosophy of peace and both religions had peace of the world as a holistic agenda. For instance, when the philosophy of Buddhism is based on non-violence, Christ taught lessons of compassion and forgives. Thus the mission of peace was imbibed on both of them in their early childhoods. Thus one can draw two conclusions by comparing the childhood of Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King Jr. First is that their social, cultural, religious and geographical backgrounds differed a lot. Second is that despite these differences they had imbibed the philosophy of peace as their lives’ mission. Martin Luther King and Dalai Lama 14 had very different backgrounds as adults as well. Martin Luther King became an independent pastor by the age of 25 (Nobelprize.org, 2013). By this time he started associating with and attained leadership positions in civil right movements. He became the executive committee member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People by this age. His intellectual radicalism is reported to have matured enough by this time (Jackson, 2008). He took leadership of the first recorded modern day Negro demonstration in December, 1955. It is this period of his life that he got acceptance as a leader of the Afro Americans. This movement however, emerged to be successful as the US Government quashed the laws which legalized racial segregation of public transportation system. In case of Dalai Lama, he had to take up a leadership role early in his adolescence. Though he was assigned the spiritual leadership of Tibetans early in his childhood, at the age of 16, he had to take up the political leadership of the nation as China emerged to be a political threat for Tibet (Nobelprize.org, 2013). He had to further take up diplomatic discussions with both China and India. While comparing the realms of work of both these leaders, it can be found that they were entirely different. While Martin Luther King worked in the area of a class and race which persistently worried the American Society, Dalai Lama had to lead his people in the process of exile. While both had political implications, their areas of intervention were entirely different. Dalai Lama’s area of intervention, as it was an international affair, got more attention and support at the initial levels itself where as Luther King had to struggle hard to bring the issue of race into the conciseness of the world. For Martin Luther King Jr. the most challenging task was that he had to work hard to raise awareness of racial equity as a matter of right. He was not just fighting against a political system but social issues which involved perceived norms and values of the main stream society. Thus he had to contest against the judgmental approach of the public. Moreover, it was very difficult task at that given social context to make the Afro Americans aware that a life of dignity was a matter of right. His voice to break through the severe resistance of the mainstream systems and values was a real difficult task. There were persistent efforts to force him out of his efforts to initiate the civil rights movement. It must be noted here that during his protest against the racial segregation of public transportation system, his house was bombed several times. He was arrested more than once and was abused personally. Thus there was extreme pressure on him and his family from the administration to quit the ideology that he was trying to establish. He evolved as an excellent orator in the process of propagating the idea of civil rights. This took him across six million miles as he made more than 7500 speeches (Nobelprize.org, 2013). This data suggests the excessive effort he had to do for the massive campaigning of the ideology. It has been reported that he was arrested more than twenty times and was physically assaulted more than four times. At the end of it all, he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, while being with the garbage workers to lead their protest march (Nobelprize.org, 2013). His tragic death is a clear indication of the kind of challenges he had to go through. Dalai Lama had a larger force to fight against. His greatest challenge was to help his people lead the life with their values and not surrendering to the might of the Chinese government. It was immensely challenging for him as he had to lead this prowess right at the age of sixteen. He initially had to take up discussions with the Chinese government trying not to compromise on the value systems his people followed. On the other hand he had to maintain diplomatic relations with the other neighbor, India, seeking support for Tibet to maintain its national integrity. Later in 1959, he was forced to leave the country and exile in India (Nobelprize.org, 2013). Here his challenge was to establish an off land democratic system. He could with the support of the Indian government establish a Tibetan government in exile. It was greatly challenging for him to maintain the doctrine of non-violence all through this process. While Martin Luther King was treated as an outsider in his own country, and hated by many of his fellow American citizens, Dalai Lama was loved by his own people, but hated by the Chinese, the outsiders who invaded his country. Though these leaders fought for causes which were entirely different in nature being in locations which had no cultural and geographical connections, their cause is connected with the value of humanity. In both cases against which they fought, there were breaches of basic values of humanity. Both of their philosophies had the common element of love and compassion for the fellow beings. Right from childhood both these leaders had committed themselves for the cause of peace. Both of them followed the doctrines of two different religions. While one preached Christianity, the other followed the principles of Buddhism. It is the value of peace that these two religions have in common. Thus in principle both Dalia Lama 14 and martin Luther King Jr. were peace seekers. The Dalai Lama has started that “world religious are already for world peace” (Journal of Human Values, P.92). The common mission of every religion was identified as peace by him. In the case of Martin Luther King, for him to establish the power of the large community he had along with him, he could have easily provoked his followers to have violent protests. Whereas he dint consider this as a sustainable solution. Martin Luther King told his followers that they “could not solve this problem through retaliatory violence” (Brunicardi et al, P.14). The causes both of them worked for also had similar holistic goals. Martin Luther King worked for a community which was discriminated against inhumanely treated by the mainstream society. His challenge was to fill this gap to bring in equality in the society. Martin Luther King wanted to see all people treated equally. He explained that “there is no such thing as one people being better than another. The lord made us all equal” (Brunicardi et al, P.9). With a mighty nation suppressing the values of his community, Dali Lama also had the same larger goal. The Dalai Lama wanted humanitarian treatment for everyone. He asked everyone who shares his concerns “to help make our societies more compassionate, just and equitable” (Journal of Human Values, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, P.91) In terms of the achievements of both these leaders, one can find a lot of similarities. Both of them even now stand tall as leaders of change. They set forth of a leadership model which has always inspired the world. Both of them proved that violence is not the final solution to seek justice. Moreover they proved nonviolence strikes off more sustainable changes than short term changes that are forced in thorough violence. Both of them proved to the world that peaceful fights for justice will bring in change in the hearts of people which is irreversible. Both these leaders were vital influences in the society they belonged to and more importantly they stood for their people at the most crucial time in the history of both the communities. While Martin Luther King played a critical role in the civil Rights movement in America in the 60’s.The Dalai Lama led the Tibetan during the invasion of their country by the Chinese, and continues to do this today. Both of them were writers and orators. Martin Luther King wrote ten books that inspires and motivate readers who share his goals and ideas. He was famous for his passionate and powerful speeches. The Dalai Lama has written many articles which also inspired and encouraged people to pursue their shared dreams and beliefs. He often speaks in public and is known for his calm, rational thoughts and his sense of human. In totality, both these Nobel Laureates have left a lasting legacy. Martin Luther King has influenced countless numbers of people, both African and non- African American. His courage, dedication, and hard work for civil liberties will never been forgotten. His speeches have later turned a global anthem of struggle, overcoming, success and social equity. Similarly, Dalai Lama has motivated people from many countries and many religions. He is known and respected for his commitment to peaceful resolution, and his unending devotion to educate people about humanitarian principles. He has opined that love and compassion as a cure to the increasing rate of violence amongst the youth (Bender, 1997) A global message of peace and its relevance in any cultural context is reiterated through generations by the impact that these leaders could make. Both Dali Lama 14 and martin Luther King Jr. has a lot of similarities in terms of their values, their larger missions and the everlasting message that their lives and works left for the world. Though they belonged to different countries and worked for two different causes their belief in the strength of peace unites them as peaceful change makers. Although their origins and the challenges were not alike, Martin Luther King and Dalai Lama Lived lives that was remarkably similar. Their Beliefs and their aims centered on establishing equality of all people, and the need for peaceful change in order to make the world a better place. Each leaves a lasting legacy of hope for all. Works Cited A Human Approach to World Peace: His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Journal of Human Values 18(2) 91–100 "All Nobel Peace Prizes". Nobelprize.org. 9 Apr 2013 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/ Bender, H (1997), The Dalai Lama on Kids of Today, Educational Leadership, December 1996, p.81-82 Brunicardi,C. F et. al (2007) The Leadership Principles of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Their Relevance to Surgery, JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL MEDICAL ASSOCIATION 99 (1). P. 7-14 Burns S (2008). Becoming King: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Making of a National Leader., Book Review, Journal of American History, December 2009, p. 919 Read More