Who Inspires You?

[amorgan]

I am most inspired by my son. 17 and a half yrears old and he's already shown more moral courage and ethical standing than I have come anywhere near to in my whole life. He's a gentle man, kind, thoughtful, extremely intelligent and has a wit like you've never seen.

[Franklin]

Hi Amorgan,

Welcome to the site!

That's really cool that your son is so cool And that you appreciate him so much. Thanks for posting that.

[Franklin]

Hi Chameleon,

I never thought I would use the word "poignant", but... Your story truly is poignant. It's a good word - just overused by movie critics. Anyway, thanks for sharing it with us.

I do believe that most people respond with compassion. And to do what he did is very elegant - huge impact for relatively little outlay. I don't say that to diminish his kindness, but as a reminder that we can all be heroes even if we're just "regular people".

[Franklin]

Hi Nico,

Of course you're on my list!

About Thomas Edison: As a child I wanted to grow up to be an inventor. The first invention was to be an electric car because I used to get car sick. I grew out of that desire and I stopped getting carsick (except for that bizarre a couple weeks ago - what was up with that?) Anyway, as we all know Edison was a great and prolific inventor. I admire all sorts of creativity and I loathe destructiveness, which is one of many reasons that I am extremely resistant to war (hence my admiration of Ghandi).
In that vein, a quote from Edison: My main purpose in life is to make enough money to create ever more inventions.... The dove is my emblem.... I want to save and advance human life, not destroy it.... I am proud of the fact that I have never invented weapons to kill....

Edison invented what may well be the most important and symbolic item ever - the light bulb. Let there be light - indeed. Thank you Mr. Edison. And I often use his experience as an inspiration. As I recall, he tried many hundreds, if not thousands of times and wouldn't give up. The first try produced a short flash of light. That was enough to keep him going - he didn't say, "Oh crap, it burned out right away, so much for that idea". No, the flash of light indicated that the idea was sound - just had a few bugs.

His philosophy about failure: Results? Why, man, I have gotten lots of results! If I find 10,000 ways something won't work, I haven't failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is often a step forward....

He also invented the phonograph - Dude! I can't find the story now, but I remember reading a long time ago about Edison selling the patent:
He had an appointment to show the phonograph a company called Scientific American. He told himself he would stand form and not accept less than $400 for the patent (I'm not sure of that number. He presented the phonograph, which asked the prospective buyer how he was doing and other small talk. Needless to say, the buyer was impressed and asked Edison how much he wanted. Edison asked the buyer what he would pay and the buyer asked Edison if would would be willing to accept $10,000! With much difficulty, Edison kept a poker face and said, yes, he would accept that. He who speaks first in a negotiation loses. BTW, that was $10,000 in 1877. And he received 20% in royalties.

Was this guy cool or what?

[womanistic]

From the start I always had been inspired by my younger brother. He had a heart ailment and through the years he courageously fights for his life. And no matter how painful the procedures he had to undertake sometimes, never did I saw the fear in his eyes. He’s such a jolly kid.

[nightgirl]

I think the person that inspired me the most is Mother Teresa. She is really a very special woman, despite her old age she still continued to serve and take care of the children and sick people of Africa. It is only right to give her the honor of being a saint because what she only did was help people who are lost on their way.

[womanistic]

A very simple question. My answer is my boyfriend. He inspires me in everything that I do. When I want to give up, he's the one who makes me feel better. Without him perhaps I have killed myself but he helps me see that the grass is still green.

[agent_orange]

People who inspire me... My hard working mom, my loving dad and my lost love (my ex-gf). And my dogs inspire me too.

Three words that inspire me...FAITH, HOPE and LOVE.

[TinyStar]

This is a good question.
I suppose I'm more inspired by randomn thoughts than particular people. Quotes, song lyrics and such.
I will say though that I've always loved Jane Austen for her vivacious wit and remarkable staying ability. All of her stories were published in the early 1800's and are still as widely read today as any other modern work. THAT definetly says something to her writing powers.

[sweet_mayhem]

i am mostly inspired by people around me; those people who may either be good or great in their craft or striving to get "there". i can be inspired by simple lines or quotations or even characters in films and books.