By Melito Salazar Jr.
“As in the 1950s, matters of belief divide our country and the world. We find ourselves in conflict over moral standards, patriotism, family, and issues of race and
Melito Salazar Jr.
faith. Yet amid the most pervasive information delivery systems in history, there is little place for the encouragement of quiet listening to the beliefs of others without rebuttal or criticism.” Jay Allison wrote in the introduction to the book, “This I Believe,” the personal philosophies of remarkable men and women.
The book is a revival of the This I Believe broadcast in 1951 with Edward R. Murrow hosting making the series a daily radio staple and eventually a publishing phenomenon. In this present book the editors made the same requests to essayists: “Frame your beliefs in positive terms. Refrain from dwelling on what you do not believe. Avoid restatement of doctrine. Focus on the personal “I” of the title, not the sermonising “We.” While you may hold many beliefs, write mainly of one. Aim for truth without accusation, patriotism without political cant, and faith beyond religious dogma.”
Let me share my favorite excerpts from the book starting with those of Albert Einstein featured in the 1950 series, “It is my belief that there is only one way to eliminate these evils, namely, the establishment of a planned economy coupled with an education geared toward social goals. Alongside the development of individual abilities, the education of the individual aspires to revive an ideal that is geared toward the service of our fellow man, and that needs to take the place of the glorification of power and outer success.”
Bill Gates shares: “I’m still very much an optimist, and I believe that progress on even the world’s toughest problems is possible- and it’s happening every day. We’re seeing new drugs for deadly diseases, new diagnostic tools, and new attention paid to the health problems in the developing world. I’m excited by the possibilities I see for medicine, for education, and of course, for technology. And I believe that through our natural inventiveness, creativity, and willingness to solve tough problems, we’re going to make some amazing achievements in all these areas in my lifetime.”
Mark Shields, who has been in and out of American politics for more than 40 years attests: “I believe in the politics that wrote the GI Bill, that passed the Marshall Plan to rebuild a war-devastated Europe, that saved the Great Lakes, and that through Social Security took want and terror out of old age. The kind of politics that teaches us all we owe to those who came before and those who will come after. That each of us has drunk from wells we did not dig; that each of us have been warned by fires we did not build. At the worst, politicians (like most of us) can be petty, venal, and self-centered. But I believe politics, at its best, can help make ours a world where the powerful are more just and the poor are more secure,”
Professor of Journalism John Fountain writes: “I believe in God. Not that cosmic, intangible spirit-in-the-sky that Mama told me as a little boy, ‘always was and always will be.’ But the God who embraced me when Daddy disappeared from our lives – from my life at age four – the night police led him away from our front door, down the stairs in handcuffs. It wasn’t until many years standing over my father’s grave for a long overdue conversation, that my tears flowed. I told him about the man I had become. I told him about how much I wished he had been in my life. And I realized fully that in his absence, I had found another, or that HE – God, the Father, God, my Father- had found me.”
Jody Williams, the founding coordinator of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, states. “I believe it is possible for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. For me, the difference between an “ordinary” and an “extraordinary” person is not the title that person might have, but what they do to make the world a better place for all of us. I believe that words are easy. I believe that truth is told in the actions we take. And I believe that if enough ordinary people back up our desire for a better world with action, we can, in fact, accomplish absolutely extraordinary things.”
Encouraged by all these, let me state my belief that creating jobs and helping entrepreneurs put up companies that create more jobs through a nurturing environment of government policies and programs, education and training including mentoring, financially inclusive structures and continuing recognition of their achievements will lead to true democracy. I will always be involved in this endeavour because I believe, “Real Happiness Is Helping Others.”
What do you believe?