The Leader, the Principal, the Hero - "all" cultures"

       Prepared for six-hundred principals in India: Topic; Leadership Skills.

The Leader – the Ruler –

the Principal- the Headmaster-the Headteacher: The Pillar of Society

                              (From an intercultural point of view)

I have found the original quotations about “The Leader” in one of the most important books I have ever come across, a book which quotes from all religions as you can see below. Title?

Below: 1a, 2a etc. are the original versions and I have changed them to 1b, 2b .

1a Whatever the best man does, others do that also. The world follows the standard he sets for himself.

                                                                                                Bhagavad Gita

1b Whatever the principal does, the others do that also. The world follows the standards he sets for himself.

2a Governing a large state is like boiling a small fish.

                                                                        Tao-Te-Ching. Laotse

2b “Governing” a school is like boiling a small fish.

3a  As you are so will you have rulers put over you.          Hadith of Baihaqi, Islam

3b  As you are so will you have teachers and students in your school.

3a The ruler who submits to “democratic” ideals, his rule is lasting.

                                                                                              Adi Granth, Sikhism

3b The principal who submits to democratic ideals, his “rule” is lasting.

4a  Guardianship is not to give an order, but to give one`s self.

                                                                                         Kenia and Tanzania: Proverb

4b To be a principal is not to give orders, but to give himself (herself) totally to his

         (her)students.

5a  God weeps over a leader who domineers over the community.

                                                                                              Talmud, Judaism

5b  God weeps over a principal who domineers over his (her) school.

6a When the ruler himself is right, then the people naturally follow him in his right course.   

                                                                                                                  Confucius

6b When the principal himself is right, then his teachers and students naturally follow him in his (her) right course.

                                                                                                         Confucius

7a To demand much from oneself and little from others is the way for a ruler to banish discontent.

                                                                                                         Confucius

7b To demand much from oneself and little from others is the way for a principal to banish discontent.

                                                                                                           Confucius

8a   If the chief has many breasts, they are sucked by the people.

                                                                                                    Ghana: Proverb

8b  If the principal has many breasts they are sucked by both teachers and students.

9a The duty of rulers: Gladden the people and do not scare them; make things easy and do not make them difficult.

                                                                                          Haddith of Bukhari, Islam

9b The duty of principals and teachers

is to gladden the students and not to scare them; try to make things easy and do not make them difficult.

10a The principal ruler is father and mother to the common people.

                                                                                                                       Confucius

10b The principal is father and mother to both, teachers and students.

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                    The Hero (in different cultures) :   

1a The first task of the hero is to conquer himself (herself).

1b The first task of the principal is to conquer himself (herself).

2a Throughout history the hero has been challenged by God.

2b Throughout history principals and teachers have been challenged by God.

3 Arabic: hero = pillar, the upright one, honest

4 Russia:: Bogatyur: Bog = God

8 India: Sivam Mukta : 

        A free man here and now, beyond fear of death (free = to love. Freia –the                                                                                                 

             Germanic goddess of love).

A true principal is a man, a woman, beyond fear of death and with lots of love.

9 Turkey: Kahraman: A characteristic of God.

10 He who knows his own mind and intuitively sees his own nature, he is a hero, a teacher of Gods and of men.                                                                    Hui Neng, China

11 German: Hero = Held = Heiland : Saviour, Redeemer.

1 There are (always) thirty-seven righteous men among the nations, by whose virtue the nations of the world continue to exist.

                                                                                                Judaism, Talmud

2 All real education is self-education.

                                                                                C.G. Jung

3 Nothing is more brutal than the battlefield of the soul.             

                                                                             Charles Rimbaud

4 The whole world is a big battlefield, but the real fight is within you.

                                                                                                         Bhagavad Gita, India

5 In all major ancient cultures, the teacher used to be a healer and a leader.