Benchmark Essay 2Robert Francis Kennedy, commonly known as Robert F. Kennedy, was one of the most peace-loving Catholic leaders America has ever produced. Robert was born on November 20, 1925 in Brookline, Massachusetts. When he was just two years old, his family moved to New York, where he would grow up. Robert's childhood shaped his life religiously and economically. He came from a very rich family and they were always comforted by their money. Robert's older brother, Joseph Jr., went to fight in World War II; Joseph Jr. didn't make it. After Joseph's death in the war, Robert's father, Joseph Sr., gave most of his attention to John Kennedy, who would later become president. Both his mother and father were religious, but Robert's mother pushed the religious aspect of life more. When he was in eighth grade, he transferred to a Catholic boarding school, called Portsmouth Priory School. He stayed there for his first two years of high school, before transferring to a more academic school. Portsmouth Priory School shaped his life, giving him a spiritual and religious background; it helped him become the great man he is. After graduating from high school, he attended a U.S. Navy program at Harvard. After the war he graduated from Harvard in two years, because the Navy program counted as credits. After graduating from Harvard, Robert and some of his friends went to the Middle East. While in the Middle East, Kennedy gained first-hand experience of the culture and life in Palestine. At the time, Britain controlled Palestine. Robert found a new respect for the Jewish people; he thought they were “hardy and tenacious” (Schlesinger 2002, pp. 73-77). Although some Arabs and Jews would work together... half the paper... short speeches about his brother, John F. Kennedy, and very little about Robert. I'm kind of inspired by the way he lived his life. I feel that the way he lived his life should be replicated, as it brings out the good in human beings. He is one of the most inspiring and peaceful leaders America has ever had. I can imagine trying to be like Robert F. Kennedy, because his life was so pure and dedicated to helping others. If I had the chance to help others as much as he did, I would. The world would be almost perfect if people lived like him. If everyone in the world thought and lived the way Robert F. Kennedy lived, there would probably be no wars, no hatred, no social inequality, and we would all get along. The world would be like Thomas Moore's Utopia and Erasmus' Complaint of Peace, only Peace would be happy with humans.