Tolerance and Empathy Hall of Fame
I have always respected and envied those with the most tolerance for diversity, plus empathy with the less fortunate. Not only do these Hall of Fame people seem more contented with themselves and life in general, but they mean so much to those who often are in desperate need of support. There is no attempt here to imply I am the most qualified to judge who should be in this Hall of Fame, but as usual, it may stimulate some of you to make your own selections.
I put three at the top almost immediately. Jesus Christ, Abraham Lincoln, and Barack Obama. Both Lincoln and Obama wrote and spoke a lot on record so it is easy enough to document. Christ didn’t write anything or have any recorded speeches at the time. It was all remembrances by some long after he was dead. But there is no need to be too precise here as the impressions left are what counts for this list.
People who respect diversity and empathize with the less fortunate end up feeling better about themselves, which maximizes their contentment. Naturally it can’t be some kind of vague whimsical shallow notion, but something that is expressed via endless contributions of time/money/ involvement for it to generate any substantial contentment. In the end, as Jack Kennedy noted, “if we cannot help the many who are poor, we cannot help the few who are rich.” This is the reality of our own country today and the entire planet as well.
They are in no particular order and for sure some have been left out through ignorance or just can’t think of them at this time. Also, while the list seems so limited, it must be remembered that the vast majority of people who should legitimately be on the list, are not well known. We all know individuals who never miss an opportunity to help those in need one way or another. I reckon most refer to them as the bleeding hearts amongst us, but this term implies they get little in return for their empathy with others. They get a lot in return. For every time a day a Trump smiles they smile a hundred times. They sleep well at night. They don’t wake up and send angry tweets. Others enjoy being around such good hearted people. The gratitude of others gives them a bounce to their step. What they lack in material wealth they reap with a contentedness that they have done what they could to make the hapless better off in various ways. There also seems to be a correlation between those who are kind to animals and those who have the most empathy for human diversity. In some respects animals are easier to be kind to, the relationship is often less complicated, more simplistic, but just as gratifying as relationships with other humans with needs. Except for the first three, the below are in no particular order:
Abraham Lincoln
Jesus Christ
Barack Obama
James Baldwin
Victoria Woodhull
Dalai Lama
A few Popes
Sojourner Truth
Jane Adams
Mario Cuomo
Jack Kevorkian
Gandhi
Charles Stanton
Eleanor Roosevelt
Frederick Douglas
Nelson Mandella
Martin Luther King
Mother Teresa
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren
Oprah Winfrey
Ellen Degeneras
Brad Pitt
Meryl Streep
Buddha
Jack and Bobby Kennedy
Barry Goldwater
Mark Twain
Bill Gates
Warren Buffet
Albert Einstein
Teddy Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt
Harriet Tubman
Malcom X
Muhammad Ali
Florence Nightengale
Andrew Carnegie
John D. Rockefeller
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Harvey Milk
Aristotle
Socrates
Confucius
Hiipocrates
Edward Kennedy
Jimmy Carter
John Muir
John Brown
Tecumseh
I know the list is incomplete. If I knew well all the religious clergy persons, I suspect only a small percentage of them would I put on the list. For individuals who make a living purportedly to help those in the most need, many religious clergy persons spend most of their time time on rituals, social gatherings of various sorts, and just, as far as I am concerned, have a racket. While I have never known any clergy person with whom I have ever had any meaningful conversations with, this by itself proves little. However, early on in teaching when a student would come by with a personal problem, I would suggest they discuss it with their minister/priest/rabbi, whatever---every time they would consider that an absurd suggestion. If anyone looks at most church finances, the amount of money spent, or time given to help, the less fortunate is pitiful. Jesus himself never operated out of a glittering cathedral, or decked himself out in ornate attire, but spent his entire life surrounded by the less fortunate in life.
All major religions are now losing serious parishioners en mass. There are just as many people who believe in a God, but not via these religious rituals, and shallow social activities. Personally, I have come to feel the world would be far better off without these major religions and all the conflict/wars/persecutions they generate. Insead everyone should just follow the universal ethical principle of the Golden Rule. No one needs any doctorate in religion to be ethical or have their ethical behavior be their paid job. What amazes me the most is just how unethical, cruel, and cold so many of the religious purists can be. They have so many ‘heathens’ to hate, and are so eager to force others to accept dictates of their own scripture, written by humans thousands of years ago.
The most ethical people I have known in my life simply follow the Golden Rule, no matter what their station in life, and they are a pleasure to be around, no matter what their station in life, or culture, or title, or any other convenient box to put people in.
