What do you believe?
Sarah Adams believes in being nice to the pizza guy. Jason Sheehan believes there is no such thing as too much barbecue. And Colin Powell believes in America.
“This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women” features inspirational essays from 80 people, from the unknown to the famous. All of the essays have aired on NPR’s “This I Believe” radio program. Broadcasting executive Dan Gediman, along with Jay Allison, host and curator of the radio show, co-edited the book.
Contributors include athletes, teachers, lawyers, construction workers and parents. While an occasional essay is humorous, most are more serious, touching on such issues as faith, justice and self-acceptance.
Begun in April 2005, the radio show is a re-invention of the original program of the same name launched in 1951 and hosted by Edward R. Murrow. Some of the book’s essays are from the 1950s program, including such names as Jackie Robinson, Leonard Bernstein, Helen Hayes and Helen Keller. Newer contributors include John McCain, Gloria Steinem, Newt Gingrich and John Updike.
In “Always Go to the Funeral,” Deirdre Sullivan, a free-lance attorney in Brooklyn, writes: “Always go to the funeral means that I have to do the right thing when I really, really don’t feel like it. I have to remind myself of it when I could make some small gesture, but I don’t really have to and I definitely don’t want to. I’m talking about those things that represent only inconvenience to me, but the world to the other guy.”
Bill Gates talks about his belief in optimism in “Unleashing the Power of Creativity.” He begins: “I’ve always been an optimist, and I suppose that is rooted in my belief that the power of creativity and intelligence can make the world a better place.”
Gates applies this attitude not only to the use of creativity in using computers to change the world, but also to applying similar principles to solve world issues, such as hunger and disease: “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.”
Among the quirkier essays is one by Harold Taw, an attorney-turned-writer from Seattle. His essay, “Finding Prosperity by Feeding Monkeys,” details his belief in feeding monkeys on his birthday.
The backstory: Upon Taw’s birth, a Buddhist monk decreed that Taw’s family would enjoy prosperity – if he fed a monkey each year on his birthday. While monkeys were plentiful in the Burmese jungle of his homeland, the task proved more difficult when he moved to America.
Photographer Nubar Alexanian’s striking black and white glossy portraits of many of the authors appear in the middle of the book. It’s a quibble, but it would have been more enjoyable seeing each author’s photo, not just his or her bio, after each essay.
Still, it’s tough not to get goosebumps reading some of the matching captions excerpted from their essays, reflecting on life, love and loss. And it’s hard not to smile at Sarah Adams’ words under her head shot: “If I have one operating philosophy about life, it is this: “Be cool to the pizza delivery dude; it’s good luck.”
Mia Geiger is a freelance writer in the Philadelphia area.
