My two favorite people right now: Desmond Tutu and Daniel Epstein.
So, picture this. I'm on ship, the air is super salty, and I'm working out outside. I go inside to get water, and all of a sudden Daniel is behind me talking about how awful the sensor on the water dispenser is. A girl named Kaitlyn, who was also at Zumba, whispered in my ear "It's now or never.", so I was like "So….are you from Blaine?" He had a mini freakout when he realized that I, too, was from Blaine (more or less). I even ended up getting a hug (saltiness and sweat and all). It was fabulous. I am such a fan of all the entrepreneurs on here and of Unreasonable in general, and it's crazy that this guy is from small-town Blaine, and is somehow on the same voyage as I am. Trying to solve the worlds greatest issues, no less.
Just so you can see how big of a deal he is, check out this screen shot from yesterdays Dean's Memo:
Of course I went to the Fireside Chat last night, and it was great! He honestly seems like a down to earth, humble, and honest person, and he talked a bit about his time on Semester at Sea. He said that his life wasn't changed like it was for a lot of his friends, but rather reinforced his values and beliefs. I think that I'll get something similar out of Semester at Sea. I don't think my perspective will be turned upside down or I'll have a revelation that I've been chasing the wrong dreams, but I think that I'll change in more subtle ways. I guess we'll see!
The main reason he created Unreasonable is because he wanted to find a community where he would fit in. He said that neither the profit or nonprofit sector seemed to fit him 100%, so he had to create the community. That's a pretty unreasonable (in the best way possible) thing to do, and also incredibly inspiring.
Shout out to my mom: next time you go to Barnes and Noble, check out the book The Power of Unreasonable People.
But honestly, we're a little over two weeks in and I'm obsessed with everything Unreasonable. Last night at the Fireside Chat I ended up sitting next to Coleman, who is one of the guys who is on here representing the Nike Foundation. The Nike Foundations main goal is basically something called the Girl Effect, which is the belief that girls across the world are the one's who know best how to end poverty, because they're the ones who know what they (and their families) need. And when I say poverty, I don't just mean poverty, I mean the roots of poverty: inadequate access to water and sanitation, inadequate access to education and health care, etc. First of all, he's an amazing dude. The night before last Daniel interviewed the guys from the Nike Foundation and he ended up asking them what their most embarrassing moment was. They both didn't want to answer, but I guess as a rule of the Fireside Chats, nothing is off limits. So I was in the front row, sitting next to Coleman, and at the end when the audience is allowed to ask questions, he asked me to ask Daniel what his most embarrassing moment was. I guess this was his form of payback. So of course I did. A girl doesn't deny someone from the Nike Foundation. No matter what.
I ended up talking to Coleman a little bit after the chat and it came up that Daniel was from Blaine as well! I also told him about running into someone from high school in Hilo, and he said: "It sounds like someone is trying to tell you something", which I guess in a way is what this whole journey is about. I'm hoping to be able to talk to the entrepreneurs a lot during this voyage, and even more so to be able to work with them.
I'm sure you'll be hearing a lot more about Daniel from me throughout this voyage, so I'll move on to my other favorite person: Desmond Tutu.
Just the fact that I can call him one of my favorite people and have reasons to do so is mind boggling. I've said hi to him, I've heard his laugh, and I've heard him speak multiple times. Yesterday he came into my Globalization and Social Responsibility class (and he's coming again tomorrow to take a picture), and it was by far one of the most amazing experiences that I've ever had, especially inside of the classroom.
I don't even know where to start, so I guess I'll just spit stuff out as I remember it. He talked a lot about how it's easy to be idealistic when we're younger, but the challenge is to hold onto that for our entire lives. I ended up writing down a lot of quotes (whoa, I'm directly quoting Archbishop Desmond Tutu), so I'll share those now:
When talking about our generation and our strengths, he said that we are always "dreaming of a world of greater equality."
"There are no ordinary people."
"One of the things I remember is just how much we owe to others."
When talking about where he gets his strength to keep going, he told the story of one woman who prayed for him constantly. He said "Here I am, being prayed for at 2am in the woods of California." Archbishop's can, apparently, be very very funny.
"We are all upheld by the love and prayers of so, so many."
When talking about his involvement with the Truth and Reconciliation Council, he said that the council had to be dishwashers, not vacuums. His theory is that vacuums suck up all the dirt, but they hold everything in. On the other hand, dishwashers clean the dishes, but all the dirt goes down the drain. He said that in order to survive the council with any hope in humanity left, the people listening to these stories had to be dishwashers, not vacuums. He followed this by saying "Human beings are remarkable. When you see the things that people have suffered."
One of the funniest quotes, ever: "I'm not name dropping, but I just got an email from Jimmy Carter. He said to say hi…so everybody…President Jimmy Carter says hi!"
When asked when we should take action to change things we care about: "Anytime is the right time. The mouse will not thank you for being considerate of the elephant that is sitting on him." He also said that "Many things should have happened yesterday."
Someone in our class has spent a significant amount of time in South Africa, and she noticed that a lot of the youth don't even know what Apartheid is. His response, which was also one of the most powerful quotes: "Apartheid was also in prison. White prisoners got long pants and beds. Now when people go the Robben Island, Nelson Mandela's cell has a bed. It has been romanticized. Young kids don't know what it took to get to where we are."
When asked how he handles dark days: "I laugh easily…but I also cry easily."
Just a little background on my personal favorite quote of the day. A guy in our class asked him what he thought of this idea from the Dalai Lama, and his quote regarding how sometimes it seems as though religion is pulling people apart instead of bringing people together. The Archbishop said: "If I place a knife on the table, it's morally neutral. If I take it and use it to cut bread, I am using it for good. But I could just as easily stick it in your gut. Religion is the same. Religion has produced a Mother Theresa, a Martin Luther King Jr, and the Dalai Lama. We have the capacity to turn anything into evil, but we also have the capacity to turn anything into good."
And one of the funniest quotes regarding his time spent with the Dalai Lama: "The cameras are on us, try to behave like a holy man."
Life is good. That is all.
The man who founded the d.school is on board?
ReplyDeleteThat's such a cool program!!! I bet he's a total boss!