An electrician, Lech Walesa, in Poland. A playwright, Vaclav Havel, in the former Czechoslovakia. An attorney, Nelson Mandela, in South Africa. A self-proclaimed homemaker, Corazon Aquino, in the Philippines. A man who challenged the tanks in Moscow, a Georgian by birth, Boris Yeltsin, in Russia.
Leadership comes from simple, unexpected places.
These leaders, shaped by the circumstances of their society, succeeded in making the transition from despair to hope. But they could not have done it without the passions of their citizens. Whole societies can be reformed only by building a partnership and a sense of community and among all the citizens in the society. We can all be leaders in our own way, setting the example for passionate and compassionate community action every day. We should also realize that building community has little to do with money or material possessions.