Is the era of giants coming to an end?

By brett Submitted on 17 July, 2009 - 11:05
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Tomorrow is Mandela Day. It's not an official holiday, but it's been set up by 46664 and the Nelson Mandela Foundation, and endorsed by a range of organisations and institutions, as an important event to be marked.

Tomorrow, on Nelson Mandela's 91st birthday, the promoters are calling on all of us around the world to "embrace Mr Mandela's values and make an imprint through service to their communities".

It's a great idea but it has got me thinking -- aside from Nelson Mandela and one or two others, who are our heroes or giants these days?

Actually Mandela Day is just the latest in a series of events and conversations which has got me thinking about this.  More and more organisations are looking for champions, to take up or profile their cause. It's something I often recommend myself, as a way for NGOs and civil society organisations to gain some attention for the great work they do. But in practice, it's not always that easy.

Whether it's climate change, health care, or human rights, there are a few 'usual suspects' that everybody always turns to as a first thought -- Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Graca Machel. But most of them are over-exposed and over-committed. And most of them are getting old.

I have myself been involved in a project where we got an endorsement from Archbishop Tutu, and I'm very grateful that he took the time to do it. But these days I get more and more irritated when people say, "let's ask Archbishop Tutu to say something for us."  Don't get me wrong, I have no problem with the good Reverend, but please -- are there no other prominent people out there, who stand as beacons for integrity, social responsibility and justice?

I'm not talking here about celebrities -- people who are famous because of some talent or ability in the arts or sports. Or those -- more and more these days it seems -- who seem to have no discernable talent at all, and are merely famous for being famous.  

I'm talking about individuals in the field of politics and social leadership, who are seen to have moral integrity, to stand up for the downtrodden. Those who have made personal sacrifices for the greater good or have managed to transcend partisan divisions to become symbols of a united humanity (despite the fact that they may be as deeply flawed as the rest of us).

I know there are great people out there, doing amazing things. I meet some of them in my daily work.  Some do get a bit of the spotlight now and then. Too few of them get the public attention and acclaim they deserve.

But I'm talking about something more. Is the era of the Mandelas and the Tutus slowly coming to an end. Are there no more giants?