‘Blessed are the meek for they will inherit the earth.’

Matthew 5:5, The New Testament

What do Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Professor Mohammed Yunus of Bangladesh, Immaculee Ilibagiza, Rwandan holocaust survivor, and the Amish community in Pennsylvania have in common?

Let me briefly tell their stories based on the little information I have read.

Prof. Yunus teaches economics. What made him increasingly uncomfortable was the ever-widening gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots.’ In his country, millions of people were destined to never raise their heads in life because in the eyes of the current banking system the poor are not credit-worthy. Prof. Yunus thought differently; he thought that applying for and getting a loan or credit was a basic human right and was the only way to start to close that gap.

So he started up his own system, called ‘microcredit,’ where he loaned small amounts of money to poor struggling families who wanted to start a business so they could provide basic necessities for their families through their own efforts. These loans were around $100-500US and required no collateral. They now have established the Grameen Bank which services millions of people and has helped countless impoverished men and women start home-based businesses. (Interesting to note that no-one has ever defaulted on their loan repayments even though they have no contracts and the deal is based on trust.)

Immaculee Ilibagiza was a teenager during the Rwandan holocaust in 1995. She spent 90 days in a bathroom with 8 other Rwandan women hiding from the murderous Hutu extremists. She lost both her parents and two brothers in the massacre and managed to escape, eventually getting a job with the United Nations and migrating to the US with her husband.

Once the war was over, Immaculee went back to Rwanda to her village to piece together what happened to her family and to complete that chapter in her life. This included visiting the man who murdered her family in prison. When he was brought to her, the man fell to his knees and couldn’t even look her in the eyes. She asked him to look at her and when he did, she simply said ‘I forgive you’ and left. The man couldn’t stop crying.

The Amish community in Pennsylvania suffered a terrible loss when 10 girls were brutally attacked and shot by Charles Roberts, five of whom died. Although this caused shock waves around the world, the Amish quietly went about their business, living and taking care of things the way they always have: with forgiveness and love in their hearts.

It was reported that an Amish neighbour went to comfort the murderer’s family after he shot himself; that they also attended his funeral; and that, when a fund was set up for the grieving families, an Amish leader insisted that one also be set up for Roberts’ family.

Here are the common threads I see:

1.They are all unremarkable, simple people yet their actions are an example to us all.

2.They live according to their beliefs, not seeking rewards or recognition but simply doing what they think is right.

3.Their humility (and by that, I mean an acceptance of life) in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles has led to actions that have irreversibly changed and touched people’s lives, and the world.

4.They take 100% personal responsibility for their lives, living on their own terms without blaming this, that or the other for their plight.

I don’t believe these people are blessed with anything extraordinary. They are ordinary people, just like you and me. I don’t believe they ever intended to do anything in their lives that would be worthy of media attention. They followed what was in their hearts. Most of us may never be rich or famous but we are all influential. These stories prove that beyond doubt.

Given we are experiencing much despair and disillusionment with leaders, government, churches and business, it’s time for us to look elsewhere. It’s time for us to put our hands down and stop pointing fingers of blame or throwing them up in resignation. At this time of year, when there is so much talk of ‘peace and goodwill among men’, we cannot afford to remain idle any longer.

We need leaders, yes; but what I see happening more and more is that true leaders and leadership is coming from among the people and not from ‘the elected few.’ We need to appoint ourselves as leaders because no matter how small your contribution YOU CAN and DO make a difference – the question is ‘what sort of difference do you want to make?’ Whatever you decide, DO IT NOW.

Till next time,

Love, light and laughter to you

Jenny

Life Coach, Best Year Yet Program Leader