I attended a
book launch last night at the Singapore National Library. It was held in the
Pod Room which is on the sixteenth floor. The Pod Room is circular in shape and
has floor-to-ceiling glass windows. There are panoramic views of the Singapore
skyline from every vantage point. I have been to the National Library a number
of times before but never to the Pod Room. It was my first time.
I was a Pod
Room virgin.
The Pod Room
is reserved for special events. Quite a few of my work colleagues attended the
Book Launch. There were perhaps 100 people there in total. Wine and Food were
provided. The wine was from Chile and it was chilled as well. The winemaker
himself was serving the drinks and I chatted to him for a while. His white wine
was called “Gala” and the red was named “Pagos”. Put them
together and you have “Galapagos”. There were penguins on the label. I
liked the concept and the labels.
The wine not
so much.
The book that
was being launched was “Creating Room to Read – A Story of Hope in the
Battle for Global Literacy”. The author is John Wood and he was there
himself to promote the book.
John Wood is
an ex Microsoft Executive. He left his job at Microsoft quite a few years ago
to dedicate his life to building libraries and promoting literacy in third
world countries. He named his organisation “Room to Read”. John Wood
wanted to change the world and he has. For the better.
His Charity is
outstanding.
John's first
book was titled, “Leaving Microsoft to Change the World”. I think he
could possibly have come up with a title that was a little more
imaginative.
But what do I
know?
Room to Read
have built more than 15,000 libraries to date and they plan on building many
more. They have also stocked these libraries with books. The Room to Read
organization also fund schooling for young children in impoverished nations and
they provide scholarship programs for University. I have seen some of their
libraries in Nepal. In very remote communities. They are well built and are
very well received by the local people. Both children and adults. I have also
met John before but in a less formal setting. He is a very nice bloke and he is
a gentleman too. I admire people like John. I admire them greatly.
They are truly
altruistic.
The world
would indeed be a far better place if there were more people like John
Wood.
The main
reason that Room to Read is so successful is that John has been able to instill
his corporate acumen and business savvy to fundraising and with a moral code. A
code of great ethics.
He is a
fundraising machine.
In John’s
presentation he spoke about heroes. It was refreshing to hear an American use
the word ‘hero’ and associate it with kindness and not violence. I cringe when
I hear the term 'hero' applied to soldiers.
It is my
belief that heroism is different to bravery. The difference is subtle. In my
opinion an heroic act requires both courage and nobility but nobility is the
key though.
It would be an
heroic act for western governments to withdraw their troops from foreign lands
and to stop insane conflicts and killing and bombing. You would be heroes in
many people’s eyes Obama and Cameron and Julia Gillard if you took such steps.
Bring your troops home.
Stop the
fighting.
That would be
noble.
That would be
heroic.
In his
presentation John Wood described his heroes as children and young adults who
pushed themselves beyond the terrible circumstances into which they were born.
He spoke of kids who walked for twenty miles each day to get to a school where
they could learn to read and write. John offered many examples of this from
places like Cambodia, Sri Lanka, India and Nepal. These are countries of few
opportunities. They are places where hardship and struggle are constant.
Particularly
for children.
Children are
the most needy and vulnerable people in all of our societies. They are the most
precious of people too. These heroes have pushed themselves out of their lives
of abject poverty with incredible determination and with the assistance from
the Room to Read organization. Almost unfailingly they all then give back to
their communities.
So the
goodness perpetuates and it grows and
grows.
These people
are my heroes too.
Every society
needs heroes and every society has them too. The reason we common people don’t
often see them is because we don’t actually look.
David Bowie
sang, “We can be heroes. Just for one day”. We can you know - if we all
just try a little bit.
I doubt very
much that John Wood would consider himself a hero. He comes across as a man of
great humility and modesty and compassion. He is both brave and noble but he is
most definitely a hero.
To me at
least.
In the truest
sense of the word.
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