Whether you have recently just read an article in time about the 100 most influential people of our time or; you have read the 10 richest people of our time. I want you to seriously think back to a time that people actually helped others for the greater good.

These individuals did not want anything in return except, maybe a hug or a smile. A facial expression showing them they had saved a person, in all ways a person could be saved.

These people will be remembered; they will be treasured throughout history; and when they are or have been at the end of their days, they will be able to say that they helped others to achieve greatness.

They are in no particular order as it hard to measure greatness within these individuals.

Mother Teresa

A Roman Catholic nun who for over 40 years aided the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying. By the 1970s she had become internationally renowned as a humanitarian and campaigner for the poor and helpless. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and India’s highest civilian honor, the Bharat Ratna, in 1980 for her humanitarian work. Mother Teresa’s set up the Missionaries of Charity which continued to expand to over 600 missions in over 100 countries.

“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

Goodwill Ambassador to the World who assumed a role as an advocate for civil rights. Eleanor continued to be a worldwide prominent author and spokeswoman for the New Deal coalition. She worked to improve the status of professional working women, although she opposed the Equal Rights Amendment because she believed it would adversely affect women.

“It was not until I reached middle years that I had the courage to develop interests of my own, outside of my duties to my family. In the beginning, it seems to me now, I had no goal beyond the interests themselves, in learning about people and conditions and the world outside our own United States. Almost at once I began to discover that interest leads to interest, knowledge leads to more knowledge, the capacity for understanding grows with the effort to understand” (Roosevelt, 412).

Per Anger

A Swedish Diplomat that aided Hungarian Jews from being deported in WWII by the Nazi’s. Much like Oskar Schindler, Anger designed makeshift passports and certificates to protect Jews from incarceration and deportation. Although there was a question of legality of the documents, the government accepted them under the impression that these were Swedish citizens.

Martin Luther King Jr.

A leader in the American civil rights movement led the Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955-6) and helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (1957), serving as its first president. Martin Luther King led a March on Washington in 1963, where he delivered his most influential speech, “I Have a Dream”. While in Washington, he raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement leading him to become the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end segregation and racial discrimination through civil disobedience and other non-violent means.

King was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.

Awards:

Nobel Peace Prize in 1964
Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977
Congressional Gold Medal in 2004

Jimmy Carter

Carter and his wife Rosalynn founded the Carter Center after his term in office had ended. The institute promotes global health, democracy and human rights. Carter has traveled extensively to conduct peace negotiations and establish relief efforts. Carter is also a strong figure and advocate in Habitat for Humanity .

“I have one life and one chance to make it count for something . . . I’m free to choose what that something is, and the something I’ve chosen is my faith. Now, my faith goes beyond theology and religion and requires considerable work and effort. My faith demands — this is not optional — my faith demands that I do whatever I can”

Oskar Schindler

A German Industrialist that originally sought out to be among some of the wealthiest businessmen at the time of the Holocaust. He operated his factory at will, with cheap labor. However, as time went by, he grew a conscious and with that he arranged with Amon Göth, the commandant of Plaszow, for several Jews to be transferred to an adjacent factory compound. The Jews would be relatively safe from the depredations of the German guards. Schindler also reportedly began to smuggle children out of the ghetto and sent them to stay with Christian nuns.

In 1967, Schindler was honored at Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial to the victims of the Holocaust as one of the Righteous Among the Nations, or “righteous Gentiles”, an honor awarded by Israel to non-Jews who saved Jews during the Holocaust at great personal risk. Schindler was the only former member of the Nazi party to be so recognized by the planting of a tree in his name at the Yad Vashem Memorial.

Harriet Tubman

Helped hundreds of slaves escape from slavery on her “Underground Railroad.” The railroad was a collection of safe homes for slaves to stay while they were making their journey to freedom. Tubman was known as “the Moses of her people”. She was a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she acted as a spy for federal forces.

“I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.”

Princess Diana

The Princess of Wales was a well known supporter of all charity projects close to her heart.

As a princess, there was an expectation for her to involve herself with hospital organizations so that she could comfort the sick. Her interests surpassed her responsibilities when she concerned herself with certain illnesses and health-related matters. Diana was the first celebrity to actually touch a person with HIV. Her hope was to change the views or public opinions of the AIDS virus. Her royal blood and birthright did not overshadow her humanitarian acts of kindness. She was seen as a saint.

Betsy Ross

In case you didn’t pay attention in history class, Ross originally sewed buttons for George Washington; she was the daughter of George Ross. Ross was an upholsterer so; it was only fitting to have her sew the first American flag. She was presented the grand design by the committee and the colors were the same as the Great Seal of the United States. She will always be remembered for constructing the most significant symbol of freedom our country has ever had.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

He led a coalition against non-violence-which led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. He is universally known around the world as Mahatma Gandhi. He is officially honored in India as the Father of the Nation; his birthday is on October 2, and it is known as the International Day of Non-Violence.

“We must be the change we wish to see.”
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”