Integrated Liberal Studies Global Cultures - Essay Example

DALAI LAMA'S VIEW ON GLOBAL ECONOMIC GOALS Due to rapid globalization effects and the growing concern about the difference in lives in the world especially between the developed and the developing nations, the United Nations met in 2000, and drafted the Millennium Development Goals. These goals take into consideration the human rights declaration of 1948 and the 1966 economic covenant. In its draft, the United Nation's emphasis is on creating a just world, which will emphasize on eliminating most of the problems facing the world today. It sought to end poverty, fight hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empowerment of women, reduce child mortality, improve health care including improved maternal health, combating HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases, and promote stable environment. All these were targeted to be achieved by the year 2015 with the desire to have made a great stride in achieving the goals. But perhaps to make a simple insight into the achievements, it can be said that the world has achieved little and is far behind the schedule. By the set year of 2015, little will have achieved. But what is hindering the achievement of these goals despite the consulted effort and all the strategies applied to achieve them Perhaps Dalai Lama has given us a more insight about the economic goals set by the United Nations and what is hindering their achievement. (Lama, 1999) Dalai Lama view on the UN's economic goals Dalai Lama seems to reckon with the sense expressed in the economic goals. He asserts to the concept that, the world has changed and it has grown to be a global village. Globalization is the new order of the day and the world cannot shy away from it. He expresses that the concept of globalization has helped to bring the world together, which reckons that no part of the world and no country of the world can live alone. (Dalai Lama, 1999) Dalai Lama raises great concerns that have been generated by the current state of inequality in the word. He expresses the concern that many of the problems facing the world today are due to the state of inequality that has been propelled by the world economic orders. Economic orders that have been adopted by the developed and the developing nations promotes inequality which increases the gap between rich and poor individuals of the world and at the same time extend to influence the economic gap between the developed and the developing countries of the word. (Lama, 1999) It is due to this difference that Dalai Lama calls for universal responsibility. He asserts that collective responsibility is the key to achieving the desired results of an equal world where everyone sees the other as a neighbor and a brother or a sister. Dalai Lama faults the government systems of the world but he is quick to point out that many economic woes facing the world today are due to oppressive government systems. He points out democracy as the only system of government on which world order can be restored as it promotes equality for all people. Dalai Lama is quick to point out that it is only through the world responsibility that a just world ca be realized. To achieve this just world, there must be systems put in place to install the order. But he criticizes the concept of creating institutions and organizations that leaves out some people while the responsibility of crating a just world is left in hands of few individuals. In his earlier draft of free Tibet which is contained in the draft constitution of 1992, Dalai Lama reckons with the goals stated in the United Nation's millennium development goals. His draft called for an education system that helps to develop bright future of Tibetan children, a working health system and a poverty free Tibet. Hence it can be said that with his concept of universal responsibility, Dalai Lama expresses the need for drafting means of achieving this to counter the problems facing the world today including overpopulation, dwindling natural resources, environmental pollutions, and others which are all addressed in the economic goals. (Lama, 1999) In his ethics for a new millennium, Dalai Lama points out that it will be difficult to achieve the economic goals if the world doesn't take into consideration the concept of universal responsibility. He points out that universal responsibility which is geared towards equitable distribution of resources is the key to the achievement of stable economic growth of the world. It is difficult to achieve these goals by boardroom meeting or by creating organizations and institutions that delineate the mass and moves alone towards achieving these goals. He points out that the means of achieving the development goals are just and well planed if they can only be implemented in the correct way and with the correct intents. We can reason with him on the issue of creating institution that leaves out the mass as currently we can see the world continue suffering due to the effects of global warming while the leading polluters of the world like the united states have refused to ratify the Kyoto Protocol despites overwhelming support of their citizens on the need to cut carbon dioxide emissions. Dalai Lama's concept of universal responsibility is perhaps the only missing link between the United Nations development goals and their implementing. In the economic draft has taken into consideration the concept and included it in the goals, the world would have achieved a lot by now. Why is this so As we can see, the world is still divided into many quarters. The ideological difference between the capitalist and communist still continues and the current rise of Arab-Islamic radicalism further complicated the aspect of world security. The state of world security and environment are two aspects that Dalai Lama dwells on. He asserts that to achiever these goals, the world must be prepared to move in one direction and proposes dialogue as means of achieving these. He likens the world to a bee colony where he shows that without proper communication and cooperation the world like the bee colony would collapse. He expresses that creation of parallel institutions and organization in the name of implementing these goals may be inferior to the concept of promoting peace, love and compassion in the word. He sees the current state of the world as being due to the desire for material development at the expense of humanity. Going with his view promotion of love and compassion (medicine for atruism), is the best practice towards achieving the new order the world wants to have. All the problems of the world have stemmed from the greed and desire for material possession which makes us forget the need to have compassion or to remember others as participants of the same system that we are going through. Dalai Lama view is a practical one but which is bound to take time to bridge the differences in the modern world. The modern world has difference ranging from economic, social to religious world. Dalai acknowledges that setting targets in terms of years may not help as this is just short time measure to prosperity. He says that to have real achievements, it takes time and a lot of patience. That is why he has taken the peaceful resistance approach as a method of expressing the need to have a free and democratic Tibet free from the communism of China. Hence according to Dalama View, there is need for the world to come together to address the problems it is facing but through a peaceful way. INDEPENDENCE STRUGGLE Badshah Khan He was born in Utmanzai, Charsadda in the British colony of India around 1890. He is well known for his non-violent opposition to the British colonization of India. He was educated in British schools but was later denied the chance to join university which was perhaps the start of his struggle against the British rule. According to Easwaran (1984), during his time, the oppressors were mainly the British rulers who had taken over the land of Indians and denied them their rights. He viewed the refusal by British rulers for Indians to access education as aimed at keeping them at a lower class for ever. Hence his main means of opposition to the rule inculcated the aspect of education the people which would help them discover themselves and hence know they had right to exist as a free state. His approach to the rule was not violent but advocated for informed citizens who were conscious of their state which he thought would be an easier tool to fight the British rules instead of mounting a revolt by citizens who did not understand themselves. His actions were justified since the people of India were oppressed by the British rulers. Denying somebody the right to education is denying the right to know oneself. His approach of using a peaceful means of revolt against the rule was justified by the fact that resulting to forceful means would have meant more bloodshed and consequently loss of more and more lives. (Lama, 1999) Vietnamese Women during the Vietnam War During the Vietnam War, Vietnamese women were oppressed by the soldiers who were fighting on both sides. But as it is recorded, Vietnamese women were raped and misused by the American soldiers fighting against the Vietnam soldiers. In the book their suffering is depicted by the activities which they used to oppose the oppression. To oppose the oppression, these women took refugees in hills together with their young children to avoid being caught in the war. They also helped their husbands fight the American soldiers by smuggling weapons to those in the interior camps within the thick forest. Their actions were justified since they had to defend their motherland and they could not stay and watch as their husbands were killed. (Lama, 1999) Rigoberta Menchu She was the noble prize in 1992 due to her struggle for her indigenous Latin Americans. She was actively involved in the fight against oppression of the Guatemala people during the civil wars of 1969 to 1991. She wrote a controversial in which she described how her family had participated in the war against the military rulers. She had been actively involved in the fight for justice for the Guatemala people and is recorded to having filed a suit against the leaders of the genocide during the civil wars. (Lama, 1999) Her fight was mainly against oppressors who were the military rulers and the wealthy Guatemala of European descent during the Guatemala civil wars. So she can be said to have participated in the liberation of her people from colonization. Menchu started for the freedom of her people in her early years and made great impact in mobilizing them to fight for their freedom. Her use of forceful means can be justified in that it was the best method that was left to liberate the people of Guatemala. She used other diplomacy methods and collected aids for her people. (Menchu, 1983) References Easwaran, E. (1984). A man to match his mountains: Badshah Khan, Nonviolent Soldier of Islam. Petaluma, CA: Nilgiri Press. Lama, D. (1999): Ethics for the new Millennium. New York: The Berkeley Publishing Group Rigoberta, M. (1983): I, Rigoberta Menchu - an Indian Woman in Guatemala. London: verso, 1983. Retrieved from, http://www.wmich.edu/dialogues/texts/irigobertamenchu.html, 13th December, 2007 Read More