While much of the world is preoccupied with the death of a murderous dictator, Vaclav Havel is really the man who should be remembered this week.
It is cruelly unfair that Havel passed away the same day that
Kim Jong-il died (or didn’t die). One man continued the policies of his father which has ended up with the murder and deaths of anywhere from one to two million North Koreans. Another man leaves a far more breathtaking legacy.
Vaclav Havel led his country, and his people, to freedom and the victory of truth over lies and suppression.
While Kim Jong-il led a revolution that accomplished nothing other than poverty, famine and a
mafioso-like state, Havel led a real revolution, the Velvet Revolution, that resulted in a bloodless dismantling of the Iron Curtain.
And when half of the former Czechoslovakia decided to go its own way, Havel stepped back and let Slovakia go on its own. The “Velvet Divorce,” which again occurred without violence, paved the way for two thriving countries, the
Czech Republic and
Slovakia. Both are countries not only brimming with beautiful scenery, buzzing cities, and exquisite countryside, but also shine because of the lack of scars that still affect the former Yugoslavia and Soviet Union.
Havel was more of a playwright, a poet and a write more than a politician or a statesman. His presidency had its bumps and hard knocks, but his bravery, integrity and wit are one reason why Eastern Europe thrives today and stands tall as one of the most culturally rich regions in the world.
At a time when few, if any, national leaders are trusted, the world could benefit from a bevy of men and women like Vaclav Havel.
Photo courtesy Wiki Commons.
About The Author
Leon Kaye
Leon Kaye is the founder and editor of GreenGoPost.com and its advisory division,
GGP Media.
Contact him to discuss how he can work with your organization or event.
His focus is making the business case for sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR).
He writes for San Francisco-based
Triple Pundit,
Inhabitat and now
The Guardian, for which he writes about corporate responsibility, water, and green building. He has also written for AIA's
Architect Magazine.
Leon works out of Fresno and Silicon Valley, California, and when he has free time, he enjoys hiking, gardening, cooking, weightlifting, and planning his next trip to one of the 60 countries he has visited. He has an MBA from USC's Marshall School of Business and is also a proud graduate of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County (UMBC) and Cal State-Fresno.
While much of the world is preoccupied with the death of a murderous dictator, Vaclav Havel is really the man who should be remembered this week.
It is cruelly unfair that Havel passed away the same day that Kim Jong-il died (or didn’t die). One man continued the policies of his father which has ended up with the murder and deaths of anywhere from one to two million North Koreans. Another man leaves a far more breathtaking legacy.
Vaclav Havel led his country, and his people, to freedom and the victory of truth over lies and suppression.
While Kim Jong-il led a revolution that accomplished nothing other than poverty, famine and a mafioso-like state, Havel led a real revolution, the Velvet Revolution, that resulted in a bloodless dismantling of the Iron Curtain.
And when half of the former Czechoslovakia decided to go its own way, Havel stepped back and let Slovakia go on its own. The “Velvet Divorce,” which again occurred without violence, paved the way for two thriving countries, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Both are countries not only brimming with beautiful scenery, buzzing cities, and exquisite countryside, but also shine because of the lack of scars that still affect the former Yugoslavia and Soviet Union.
Havel was more of a playwright, a poet and a write more than a politician or a statesman. His presidency had its bumps and hard knocks, but his bravery, integrity and wit are one reason why Eastern Europe thrives today and stands tall as one of the most culturally rich regions in the world.
At a time when few, if any, national leaders are trusted, the world could benefit from a bevy of men and women like Vaclav Havel.
Photo courtesy Wiki Commons.
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