The Case For Right
By Dean Robbins JGSM '11
Issue date: 11/2/09 Section: Perspectives
For the first time since 1991, the Dalai Lama visited Washington without being invited to meet the President. By most accounts, the reason is timing. The Obama administration has deemed it prudent to meet with the Dalai Lama after the President's own trip to China in November. Postponing a meeting with the Dalai Lama might seem a worthwhile political contrivance in order to gain goodwill from China, a country which could significantly aid in our diplomatic efforts towards containing several international threats. There is also the economic consideration: the President's decision to leverage the standing of one leader to curry favor with a government that has significant ties to our own economic growth is well founded and an ostensibly favorable one to MBA students seeking jobs.
I believe at Cornell, however, our individual pursuits are neither purely monetary nor rooted in an absolute ambivalence to the principles from which our ethos and personal convictions may stem. I'd argue that several of these principles are actually shared by most, if not all, and are rooted in some type of self-determination, inherently promoting the notion of individual freedoms. The issue of Tibet is complex, enormously so in fact, but one's position on that matter should be held entirely irrespective of how he interprets President Obama's decision. It is the collateral leveraged, which are the veiled principles manifested through the Dalai Lama's celebrity, that should be examined in determining if the decision is right.
Inherent in much of the ideology that the Dalai Lama preaches are principles closely aligned with those upon which our constitution is based and our country was founded. Recently, the Dalai Lama said in congratulating President Obama on his Nobel Peace Prize, "I have maintained that the founding fathers of the United States have made this country the greatest democracy and a champion of freedom and liberty. It is, therefore, important for today's American leaders to adopt principled leadership based on these high ideals. Such an approach will not only enhance the reputation of the United States, but also contribute tremendously to reducing tension in the world."
I believe at Cornell, however, our individual pursuits are neither purely monetary nor rooted in an absolute ambivalence to the principles from which our ethos and personal convictions may stem. I'd argue that several of these principles are actually shared by most, if not all, and are rooted in some type of self-determination, inherently promoting the notion of individual freedoms. The issue of Tibet is complex, enormously so in fact, but one's position on that matter should be held entirely irrespective of how he interprets President Obama's decision. It is the collateral leveraged, which are the veiled principles manifested through the Dalai Lama's celebrity, that should be examined in determining if the decision is right.
Inherent in much of the ideology that the Dalai Lama preaches are principles closely aligned with those upon which our constitution is based and our country was founded. Recently, the Dalai Lama said in congratulating President Obama on his Nobel Peace Prize, "I have maintained that the founding fathers of the United States have made this country the greatest democracy and a champion of freedom and liberty. It is, therefore, important for today's American leaders to adopt principled leadership based on these high ideals. Such an approach will not only enhance the reputation of the United States, but also contribute tremendously to reducing tension in the world."
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