Character Differences Of Saddam Hussein And Gandhi

Essay, Research Paper

Saddam Hussein and Mohandus Gandhi

Saddam Hussein, the vicious dictator of Iraq. It is surprising to find that he has things in common with one of the greatest makers of peace, Mohandus Gandhi. Though these two people are the complete opposite of one another, they share the one thing they hold most dear, their religion. Religion is a big part of a person, and is closely related with a persons character. Religion teaches people how to act in different situations, so it would be safe to conclude that all people in that religion hold the same beliefs. How then could these people act and think so differently? They are world leaders and determine war or peace. Their ability to lead depends on that persons character. Leadership is no good if people do not comply. Influences like Saddam Hussein and Gandhi lead only as well as their personal character permit them to.

In the case of Mohandus Gandhi, his personal character allowed him to be a great leader. People wanted to be lead by him even though Gandhi held no real political office. At the beginning of his crusade to free India, he made his intentions completely known to the public. Not all people believed in the non-violence that he preached. To change that, Gandhi risked his own life fasting for long periods of time until all fighting and bloodshed stopped. It is selfless acts such as these that rang out to the population. Soon his ideas changed the characters of people around the world. This all could not have been accomplished if not for his great perseverance. Gandhi always believed in fighting, but not at the cost of violence. Rather he dies than to see his fight be for nothing. Things such as this are what brought about great men like the Dali Lama and Martin Luther King Jr. (Doc #2). Though Gandhi is dead, his character beliefs and ideals were so much of an impact that they live on even today.

The character of Saddam Hussein has also allowed him to rule, but by means of fear. He is a radical threatening neighboring countries as well as the U.S. To this day, his true intentions are yet to be known. As said by Time Magazine (Doc #1), Saddam Hussein may be his own worst enemy. Hussein acts as if he wants a war and be destroyed. This self-destructing trait has brought his own people to hate him. Countless time has assassination been attempted. Hussein can no longer rule with complete authority because fear does not always bring complete unity. More often do people lash out and rebel. Husseins cannot lead wisely due to his own personal character. The problem is that his true character is not known. By his actions, one can only guess at what his is trying to accomplish. Perhaps his ideals are so twisted that he truly wants destruction. The true answer to this may never really be known.

The characters of these people are what change the world. Though some characters are bad, it is these personal character grouped with strong ideas that make society what it is. Without ideas and beliefs, civilization would crumble due to lack of unity. Although a county such as Iraq is not headed in the right direction, the population is still somewhat united as a people (Doc.3). This may show that there may be something yet to the character of Saddam Hussein. As for, Gandhi, he had a good character but strangely still failed to bring unity. Perhaps it is human nature that our ideals and beliefs lead to our own undoing.

Today, people still do not know under what conditions do these great and terrible people come about in society. It may be that such characters are inborn and have nothing to do with their surrounding. It would be wonderful if we could one day map out such complicated personalities like the one of Gandhi. To finally know what aspect of him made him a truly great leader would be utmost rewarding to mankind. Finding out what made Saddam Hussein what he is today would be important if one wanted prevent a leader such as he from ever again rising. It is a shame that at this time, doing this is not possible but in time, I am positive that we can find the answer to greatness.