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Great Leaders

In: Social Issues

Submitted By nojoke23
Words 411
Pages 2
When thinking of great leaders that I identify with, one person comes to mind and it is a choice that I don’t take lightly because of what he did before he turned his life around. Liberia and Sierra Leone were the scenes of human atrocities that war caused and brutality against human kind that man conducted. The hacking off of limbs and raping of women were just some of the crimes committed against humanity. One man in particular was the most brutal of all. His name is known as General Butt Naked. Known for going into battle only with ammo a weapon and shoes, his army of kidnapped and drugged child soldiers committed killings of other women men and children under his command. After the war this General was visited by a priest and told him that he would atone for his crimes and raise up the very people he destroyed. During the war crimes tribunal, amnesty was offered to all those who committed crimes and killings during the war. The only person who showed up was General Butt Naked. He was pardoned for his crimes because of what he had been doing before the tribunal. This man raped killed and mutilated people without thought. But he did something that changed my mind and life after watching his documentary. He gave his life to God and began a crusade by saying two words, “I’m sorry.” He went to every village, home and person that he committed these crimes against and apologized. He gave up his life and used it to start the process of reconciliation and forgiveness. I don’t take what he did lightly and I would not call him a great person, but I will call him a beacon of hope in a place filled with death and misery. He is still on his crusade, walking the path that many prophets and leaders like Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Nelson Mandela took, to help mankind and give up life to serve others. Watch the documentary and you will see that what he did was unforgivable but the very people he committed the crimes against are forgiving him. The middle east where Jesus walked and preached has not been able to forgive as war still rages. If anyone reading this is from that region of the world I don’t want to offend and legitimize what he did, but his work after the fact is helping heal that part of the world.

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