5 Leaders Who Have Pleased Us With Their Actions in 2019

“Nearly all men stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”

- Abraham Lincoln

In a society where patriarchy has been prevalent since time immemorial, often men have been known as the most selfish, self-centred and dominant of beings. But more than halfway through 2019 there have been a few examples who have broken down this myth with their statements and actions (and broken the stereotype with a Hulk smash!!).

Here are 5 men who have pleased us with their actions -

1. Pope Francis

This Pope is one to look up to and get inspired from. The way he has been dealing with the proceedings in the church has been considered ‘revolutionary’. The discussion which he initiated in one of the church meetings was seen as a ‘one of its kind historic move’ as it focused on addressing the issue of sex abuse. 

Taking such a big step forward and opening up a conversation which is still talked in ‘hushed’ tones is not only a commendable step but given his designation as a Pope of the great Catholic Church, it is a step towards a safer and more modern world. Commencing conversations on such issues enables individuals across the globe to believe that religions were put into place to solve the deepest of human concerns and troubles. Such decisions pave the way towards reducing the rigidity associated with following a religion.

2. Bernard Arnault

The man behind the world’s largest luxury good company, LVHM Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton SE (often referred to as LVMH) having a revenue of about $53billion from the company last year, would be considered as a self-centered and someone who has a vision to sell the products to earn more revenue with each passing hour. But this man is different! He didn’t only surpass Warren Buffett to become the 3rd richest person in 2019 but willingly donated about $226 million to help the restoration work of the famous and once elegant, Notre-Dame. 

The amount given for the restoration of the historic monument is definitely a step towards promoting a culture of valuing heritage and community treasures. Giving away 226 million dollars is no easy decision, even for a billionaire but the selflessness in one’s personality can make people do wonders.

3. Sundar Pichai

The man who became the Google CEO and has been known as one of the highest-paid executives refused to take Google stock awards, worth of millions since the last 2 years. Why would he do that? Why would he turn down such a huge offer? The reason given by him was simple-he has enough and has been paid generously. His action is a testimony to the fact that sometimes it is better to halt for the sake of contentment instead of running towards a higher ‘American Dream’.

 This attitude of an executive working in one of the leading worldwide network organization is extraordinary and something ‘out-of-the-blue’. This behaviour should be noted and followed by the richer who keep getting rich without thinking about the other people of the society.

4. Bill Gates

Billionaire and one of the most generous philanthropists known to the world, willingly stepped down from being designated as the world’s richest person and has been known to donate about more than $35 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

He has made incredible donations in the past years to improve global healthcare, reduce extreme poverty and a variety of social issues which have been pressing the whole world. 

5. Ketan Jorawadia

A fire broke out in a commercial complex in Surat, Gujarat. This incident made news and so did a brave heart who was able to save lives in this situation. There were people around, who couldn’t understand what should be done so that the lives of the innocent students could be saved; among them was Ketan Jorawadia who didn’t think about his life and climbed up 3 floors through a ladder to help the students from falling off the building. He managed to save 12 students till the fire brigade came in.

‘With great power comes great responsibility’ were the words of Spiderman. It is great to learn that men with power and even the ones without it are adopting such superheroic ideals. One can only hope that lists like these increase manifold.

- Shruti Singh



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