Kennedy Society of Denmark
Purpose: Keeping alive John F. and Robert F. Kennedy’s inspiration
and philosophy of life, so that their good words can be translated into good deeds.

Profiles in Courage Award, 1990

For the year 1990 The Kennedy Society has decided to award John F.
Kennedy's book "Profiles in Courage" to President Václav Havel for
the following reasons: President Václav Havel has dispayed great
courage within the Charter 77-Movement and during
his imprisonment 1979-1983. He has maintained a consistent ethical
attitude which he has expressed openly to the leader of his country
and when he himself became its leader. During his imprisonment he
courageously realized and expressed truths about human existence...
As to the other inspirations - we got from "somewhere else" Václav Havel
has said: In the Danish book: "A Longdistance Dialogue" 1989: "In the
profound and strong sense the object of hope is not one that distinctly aims
at early success but rather aims for ability to do something because it is
good - It is no conviction that it will end well but a certainty that there is
a meaning - whatever happens - and a kind of hope we get from
"somewhere else" so to speak." As President - Václav Havel courageously
stated his Christian philosophy of life with its ideas of freedom, equality and
brotherhood. In his New Year speech to the Czechoslovakian people in 1989
he said: "We must take and learn many things from others, but after a long
time, we must do this as their equal partners, who also have something to offer.
Our first President T. G. Masaryk wrote: "Jesus - not Caesar...
Today this idea has again come alive in us. I would venture to say that we
have even the possibility of spreading it farther and thus bringing a new
element into European and world politics." Chech. LIFE 2/90.
- When speaking to Congress in Washington in 1990 Václav Havel stated:
"Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness, nothing
will change for the better in the sphere of our beings as humans, and the
catastrophe towards which this world is headed - be it ecological, social,
demographic or a general breakdown of civilization - will be unavoidable."
TIME 5th March 1990. - Finally President Václav Havel had the courage
to make truth the criterion for the choice of the people with his words:
"The critical choice for Czechoslovakia is not between socialism and
capitalism, poverty or wealth. It's about truth." NEWSWEEK 30th April 1990.