We are all too familiar with the top ten lists that enumerate the richest people in the world or highest paid celebrities and such. Borrowing that concept, I want to tell you about 9 individuals I have found inspiring. The list is unordered and individual listed under #9 is no less inspirational than #1.
1. Dr. Sylvia Earle – Oceanographer
Dr. Sylvia Earle is one of the leading marine biologists in the world who is best known for her advocacy to protect our oceans. I learned about her for the first time after attending her keynote speech during SXSW Eco 2014 conference in Austin, Texas. Of all the keynote speakers, including Ernest Moniz – the US Energy Secretary, she was the most popular by far and garnered a standing ovation from a room full of audience. To learn more about her, I highly recommend watching her new documentary “Mission Blue”, available on Netflix. If anyone tells you that men don’t cry, let it be known that they actually do (while watching this documentary).
2. Dr. Muhammad Yunus – Bangladeshi Nobel Laureate
Dr. Muhammad Yunus is the Nobel Peace prize winner for his pioneering work in micro-finance and women empowerment in Bangladesh. I came across his work for the first time during my junior year of college while writing a research paper on microfinance. He has written several famous books such as “Creating a World Without Poverty” and “Building a Social Business”, both of which I have read and highly recommend. With a meagre sum of $27 USD, he founded Grameen Bank – Bank for the Poor, in Bangladesh which has changed millions of lives, especially for the rural poor and women.
3. Noam Chomsky – MIT Professor and Dissident of US Foreign Policy
Dr. Noam Chomsky is a leading intellectual who has authored more books on a wide range of topics than anyone can read. Although he is primarily known for his pioneering work in linguistics, I admire him for his outspoken criticism of US foreign policy. The fact that he lives in America and is still alive is a big testament to the notion of Freedom of Speech in the US. He is a master lecturer and author on issues related to Israel and Palestine. Some of his famous books are: Hegemony or Survival (I’ve read), Manufacturing Consent and Gaza in Crisis among others.
4. Dr. Vandana Shiva – Founder of Navdanya Seed Bank
Dr. Vandana Shiva is a Nuclear physicist-turned- activist who advocates for sustainable farming without the use of pesticides and genetically modified crops. She is a vocal critic of the Green Revolution of 1970s and Monsanto – the defacto king of GM world. Although Green Revolution is seen in the West as a novel discovery to boost agricultural productivity, Dr. Shiva laments it for necessitating excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides. She also correctly attributes it as the leading cause of farmer suicides in India. To give some historical background, farmers in India were lured into buying modified seeds with higher yields along with profuse amounts of fertilizers and pesticides, most of which were funded through loans. After a few years, land productivity decreased due to overuse of fertilizers and yields plummeted leaving farmers with an insurmountable debt and stress. This is the leading cause of farmer suicides in India even today. Read her book “The Violence of Green Revolution” for an in-depth understanding. She has founded a seed bank in India, known as Navdanya which stores a variety of seeds for different crops. This model emulates on traditional way of agriculture as opposed to Monsanto’s policy of not allowing farmers to save seeds thereby requiring them to buy GM seeds every year. She criticizes GM companies for biopiracy and is a vocal critic against issuing patents for seeds. Read her book, “Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge”.
5. Amir Khan – Bollywood Actor and UNICEF Ambassador
Anyone who watches bollywood films knows Amir Khan as one of the finest actors who makes meaningful movies with positive message(s). But he is so much more than that. He is a good steward of the society and has hosted a television show (Satyamev Jayate – Truth Wins) where he “highlights social issues prevalent in India and discusses possible solutions”. Recently, he was made UNICEF Ambassador for South Asia. Some of his Bollywood movies that have a great social message are: Lagaan, 3 Idiots and Taare Zameen Par.
6. Leonardo DiCaprio – Hollywood Actor and UN Messenger of Peace
Leonardo DiCaprio is best known for his acting in famous Hollywood movies but I admire him more for his activism for environmental issues. He had donated a few million dollars for saving tigers in the past but that did not really catch my attention. It was only after his participation in People’s Climate March in New York and his speech at the UN Climate Summit, he deserved a spot on this list. Interestingly, he got the single most media attention after the climate march and summit, more than heads of states who delivered speeches and Bill McKibben who organized the 400,000 strong People’s Climate March. DiCaprio was aptly named UN Messenger of Peace for his activism and calling attention to environmental issues.
7. Amy Goodman – Independent Journalist, Founder of Democracy Now
Amy Goodman is probably the least famous personality on this list but deserves a spot because of her extraordinary journalism in this age of biased media reporting. She is the founder and leading face for Democracy Now, an independent news broadcasting service that airs on the internet and several television networks around the world. I came across Democracy Now and Amy Goodman’s reporting for the first time after endlessly searching for unbiased media reporting during Israel – Gaza conflict in May 2014, codenamed Operation Protective Edge. It is a matter of pride that Trinity University (my alma mater) invited her this month (October 2014) for a Maverick series lecture aptly titled, “Independent Media In a Time of War and Election”.
8. Bill Drayton – Founder of Ashoka, former Assistant Admin of EPA
Bill Drayton is a social entrepreneur who founded Ashoka that identifies individuals throughout the world that are making a difference in their communities. Ashoka scholars referred to as “Innovators for the Public” are equipped with tools, expertise of a world class organization and funding from large foundations. This enables Ashoka scholars to make difference on a much larger scale. Before founding Ashoka, Drayton worked as an assistant administrator of EPA where he introduced revolutionary ideas such as “The Bubble”. Essentially, the concept of bubble introduced a holistic view of carbon emissions on the Earth and allowed companies to trade carbon credits without exceeding their emissions quota. Before EPA could enact more emissions curtailing measures, its budget was slashed dramatically after republican candidate Ronald Reagan was elected as the US president. Soon after, Drayton left EPA.
9. Edward Snowden – Whistleblower about US Surveillance Programs
You may be surprised why Edward Snowden is on the list but in my opinion, he is a true and passionate advocate of democratic ideals. He risked his life to reveal extensive surveillance programs by National Security Agency in the US. Before that, NSA was little known and its activities were entirely clandestine. Since Snowden chose to confront US government’s wrongdoings, I compare him to the little man who defied Chinese tanks in Tienanmen Square. Snowden won Guardian’s reader’s poll Nobel Peace Prize and 2014 Right Livelihood Award – dubbed as ‘Alternative Nobel Peace Prize’.