Former US president Bill Clinton has said the single biggest challenge the present-day world is facing is one of "identity", a problem which was well understood by India's founding father Mahatma Gandhi."The most important challenge to the world is how we think and feel and teach our children how to think and feel...It is a thinking pattern," Clinton told delegates at the annual Telugu Association of North America here.
"It is the central challenge to the 21st century world. It is about identity, how you define your life in relation to others," he said.
"Gandhi understood this. He had a vision of India which was heartbreaking in the beginning -- Pakistan separates. Gandhi knew from the depths of his soul," he said.
"Sometime in the 21st century, the Indian economy, the Chinese economy and European economies will all be bigger than the American economy. Some time in the 21st century we will face the challenges of climate changes and resource depletion," he said, adding the way one deals with these issues will depend on "identity".
Clinton also did some fund raising for his wife Hillary, the top Democratic candidate seeking the party nomination. But not once during his keynote address did Clinton talk of his wife running for the nation's top office in November 2008 or seeking the support of those assembled.
No comments:
Post a Comment