Let’s do an experiment you and I. I’m going to share with you some people that I personally admire and then encourage you to watch a video and read a bit about them. You will receive their name, their qualities, a video about them, and the introduction to their Wikipedia article. Then I will encourage you to think about these people and ask yourself “What qualities do I need in order to admire someone? Who are those that I admire most?” Sound good? Ok, let’s begin.
But first, what are some of the qualities I admire in other people?
- Courage – both the ability to do something that frightens one as well as having strength in the face of pain or grief.
- Humanity – humaneness, and benevolence.
- Clarity – transparency, certainty, purity, and intelligence
- Kindness – the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate.
- Humor -the quality of being amusing or comic, especially as expressed in literature or speech.
Daryl Davis
For his COURAGE, HUMANITY, CLARITY, AND KINDNESS
I first heard about Daryl with his connection to befriending and affecting the hearts of white supremacists. Then I learned he played with Chuck Berry and is an amazing musician.
https://youtu.be/pESEJNy_gYQ
From Wikipedia: Daryl Davis is an American R&B and blues musician, author, actor and bandleader.[1] Known for his energetic style of Boogie-woogie piano,[1] Davis has played with such musicians as Chuck Berry,[1][2] Jerry Lee Lewis, B. B. King,[2] Bruce Hornsby, and Bill Clinton.[3][4] His efforts to improve race relations, in which as an African-American he engaged with members of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), have been reported on by media such as CNN and The Washington Post.[5][6][7]Davis summed up his advice as: “Establish dialogue. When two enemies are talking, they’re not fighting.”[8]
Davis is a Christian and he has used his religious beliefs to convince Klansmen to leave and denounce the KKK
Lin-Manuel Miranda
For his HUMANITY, CLARITY, KINDNESS, AND HUMOR
Lin-Manuel captured my heart first with his Broadway musical “Hamilton” and then by watching numerous interviews and documentaries about him. It also doesn’t hurt that Emma Watson is in this video as she would fit into my “admire” top twenty list if there were such a thing.
From Wikipedia: Lin-Manuel Miranda (/lɪn mænˈwɛl məˈrændə/; born January 16, 1980) is an American composer, lyricist, playwright, and actor best known for creating and starring in the Broadway musicals Hamilton and In the Heights. He co-wrote the songs for Disney‘s Moana soundtrack (2016) and is set to star in their upcoming film Mary Poppins Returns. Miranda’s awards include a Pulitzer Prize, two Grammy Awards, an Emmy Award, a MacArthur Fellowship, and three Tony Awards.
Ellen DeGeneres
For her COURAGE, CLARITY, KINDNESS, HUMANITY, AND HUMOR
You don’t need me to say anything about Ellen. You know her already. Give the video a watch.
From Wikipedia: Ellen Lee DeGeneres (/dɪˈdʒɛnərɪs/; born January 26, 1958)[2] is an American comedian, television host, actress, writer, and producer.[3] DeGeneres starred in the popular sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and has hosted her syndicated TV talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, since 2003.
Her stand-up career started in the early 1980s, and included a 1986 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. As a film actress, DeGeneres starred in Mr. Wrong (1996), appeared in EDtv (1999), and The Love Letter (1999), and provided the voice of Dory in the Pixar animated films Finding Nemo (2003) and Finding Dory (2016); for Nemo, she was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actress, the first time an actress won a Saturn Award for a voice performance. In 2010, she was a judge on American Idol for its ninth season.
Brian Cox
For his CLARITY, HUMANITY, AND HUMOR
If you watch this quick video you may find yourself spending hours having science explained to you in a way that makes perfect sense.
From Wikipedia: Brian Edward Cox OBE FRS (born 3 March 1968) is an English physicist who serves as professor of particle physics at the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Manchester.[8][9] He is best known to the public as the presenter of science programmes, especially the Wonders of… series[10][11][12] and for popular science books, such as Why Does E=mc²? and The Quantum Universe. He has been the author or co-author of over 950 scientific publications.[13]
Cox has been described as the natural successor for BBC‘s scientific programming by both David Attenborough and Patrick Moore.[14][15] Before his academic career, Cox was a keyboard player for the bands D:Ream and Dare. He earns £250,000 – £299,999 as a BBC presenter[16]
Andy Stanley
For his CLARITY, KINDNESS, COURAGE, HUMANITY, AND HUMOR
I attended one of Andy Stanley’s churches for a while and have watched and listened to many hours of his programming. Give this video a go.
From Wikipedia: Charles Andrew “Andy” Stanley (born May 16, 1958) is the senior pastor of North Point Community Church, Buckhead Church, Browns Bridge Church, Gwinnett Church, Woodstock City Church, and Decatur City Church. He also founded North Point Ministries, which is a worldwide Christian organization.
Tawakkol Karman
For her COURAGE, HUMANITY, CLARITY, AND KINDNESS
I discovered Tawakkol Karaman while researching for this blog entry. She is amazing.
From Wikipedia: Tawakkol Karman is a Yemeni journalist, politician, and human rights activist. She leads the group “Women Journalists Without Chains,” which she co-founded in 2005.[3] She became the international public face of the 2011 Yemeni uprising that is part of the Arab Spring uprisings. She has been called the “Iron Woman” and “Mother of the Revolution” by Yemenis. Karman, along with Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee, were the co-recipients of the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work.”[63] Of Karman, the Nobel Committee said: “In the most trying circumstances, both before and during the ‘Arab spring’, Tawakkul Karman has played a leading part in the struggle for women’s rights and for democracy and peace in Yemen.”[63][64] The Nobel Committee cited the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, adopted in 2000, which states that women and children suffer great harm from war and political instability and that women must have a larger influence and role in peacemaking activities; it also “[c]alls on all actors involved, when negotiating and implementing peace agreements, to adopt a gender perspective.”
Photo by Nina Strehl on Unsplash
