(TibetanReview.net, Dec29, 2018) – The Dalai Lama has appeared among the top 10 most admired individuals in a United States annual poll for the ninth time. The exiled spiritual leader of Tibet is eighth on the Gallup’s 2018 Most Admired Man list, marking his ninth appearance in the top 10.
The list, released Dec 27, is based on a survey that asked more than 1,000 adults across the United States which living person they admired most.
Former US President Barack Obama emerged first for the 11th consecutive year, while his wife, former first lady Michele Obama, topped the list of the most admired women.
The news that the Dalai Lama was once again on Gallup’s list came just days after he spoke about America’s commitment to Tibet during an interview with the Hindustan Times of India, noted Washington-based International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) Dec 27. The interviewer had asked the Dalai Lama for his reaction to the Reciprocal Access to Tibet Act, a new law in the US that takes aim at China’s isolation of Tibet.
The Dalai Lama retired from his political role in 2011 but remains the symbol of its identity and the spiritual head of the Tibetan nationhood.
As a leader who for decades the Dalai Lama has advocated a peaceful solution to the Tibetan crisis—earning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989—and as an eloquent voice of compassion and tolerance across religions and cultures, the Dalai Lama is often voted as one of the most respected figures around the globe, noted the ICT report.
