The Power of One

When I was a kid, I had a school teacher that thought all of his students should study the lives of those who had made some considerable contribution to humanity. This teacher was an idealist and through his passion, he was able to influence not only me but the whole class. In fact, when I look at my classmates lives today, after 45 years from the teachings of this teacher, I see great people that have been able to accomplish much in life and give to others to make a difference in their lives. What a great legacy from a man who truly believed in the power of one! He did not believe in becoming famous to accomplish the greater good. Rather, he believed that most of the greater good is accomplished by people like you and me.

From his teachings, I vividly remember two great people whose vision and thinking have affected my life in a considerable way.

The first one was Albert Schweitzer who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. From him I learned to appreciate all life and living creatures through his powerful philosophy called “Reverence for Life”. As a believer in God, I do appreciate the word reverence and as a human being I value reverence as a principle of human character that it is very difficult to find in today’s time. Reverence is something that takes time and a still attitude that is so foreign to our “developed” culture today. And yet, how much better the world would be if we had a more reverential attitude towards life.

The second one was Martin Luther King Jr. From his life I learned to have dreams and stand for the weak. I also learned the importance and value of “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”(Doctrine & Covenants 81:5) and to “mourn with those who mourn” (Mosiah 18:9). Since those days, these thoughts have been a guiding light in my life, and although my dreams have transformed overtime, they have never died and kept meaning in my life.

All my life, I have sought for people that I could look up to and learn from. In doing this, I have found inspiration and meaning. I have seen the power of one in action over and over again. I felt inspired and motivated, and I wished to be an inspiration myself.
One such a person is a former mayor with whom I worked. He had transformed his life from that of an addict, struggling with drugs, alcohol, and strong negative emotions to one of leadership, entrepreneurship, caring, and compassion. He turned around his life thanks to one person and now he is the one who helps others to find themselves. He is a truly inspiring man. When he told me, he was not running for office again, I felt extremely sad but I knew in that moment that to honour him for what I had learned from him, I had to be my best with whatever new mayor I would have to work with. I will never forget him.

Another person that has left and continues to leave a huge imprint in my life is Russell M. Nelson. I don’t know him personally, but my brother does and he has been a huge influence in my brother’s and my brother’s family’s life. He has inspired millions throughout his life, first as world renowned heart surgeon who was part of the team that invented the first heart-lung bypass machine employed to support open-heart surgeries, and now as the president of a worldwide church, which, under his direction, has, in the last two years, changed this faith’s perspective in many fundamental ways. However, this is not really what has made him a “power of one” person in my life. It is his life-changing interactions with my brother who saw his life changed in a day when he met Nelson for the first time. I have seen the transformation in my brother’s eyes and heart. Not that he was not remarkable before, but he has become extraordinary because of Russell M. Nelson.

I hope that in the days to come and for the rest of my life, I can be a power of one for others and that others can take these words and become a power of one for their friends and family. This world is in desperate need of these people – leaders that need no title to be influencers for good

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