People who inspire?

steddyeddy · 05-01-2013 03:46AM

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

? So do I. Do I inspire you? Terrible argument.

He brought more attention to endangered species than most and played a part in saving some of them inlcuding the mountain gorilla. You cannot dismiss his role in conservation.

steddyeddy · 05-01-2013 03:47AM

brummytom wrote: »

I think I've posted this before on a similar thread, but anyway: my uncle.
He's in his mid-forties, very happily married with two young kids. Last February, he was told he had cancer (again), but that it had spread to his lymph nodes, lungs and elsewhere. He was told that, though they could administer chemo to prolong his life, they couldn't do anything more. He's never smoked, hasn't had any kind of alcohol problem, hasn't done drugs or anything like that, he's just had incredible bad luck.

Despite all of that, he has the strongest determination to carry on I've ever seen. He's still working full time, and completely doing up his house in his spare time. He's constantly upbeat, though still realistic.

I know if I was in the same situation, I'd fall to pieces. Seeing him step up and face a terrible situation head on is the most inspiring thing I've seen.

It might not be on a par with great world leaders, or Civil Rights activists, but watching him has had more effect on changing my own outlook than any figurehead ever could.

I always admire people like that. Fair play to your uncle that's the type of strength that I have aspired to have my whole life.

steddyeddy · 05-01-2013 03:48AM

donegal_road wrote: »

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Russian composer
Django Reinhardt: guitarist who had 2 fingers on his soloing hand
Van Gogh: Impressionist painter
Monet: Impressionist painter
Claude Debussy: composer who wrote Clare de Lune
St. Brendan the Navigator: was supposed to have been the first European to have reached North America, 530 AD
Mike Horn: explorer who circumnavigates the world in a 184 ft aluminium yacht.

I'll have to confess that I'll have to look up some of them! Thank you though!

IamtheWalrus · 05-01-2013 03:49AM

Stained Class wrote: »

This is Crap.

DA has been doing nature programes since the 1950's.

Also, how many 86 year olds do as much good work as this man?

What will you be like at that age?

Doesn't mean he deserves inspiration. He started his work many years ago. He's continuing it on because of his great reputation as a great presenter. He has done a great deal to highlight the natural world.

IamtheWalrus · 05-01-2013 03:51AM

steddyeddy wrote: »

I'll have to confess that I'll have to look up some of them! Thank you though!

If that post encourages you do research some of the people in the post then it's been worthwhile.

Stained Class · 05-01-2013 03:55AM

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

The great swathe of the world will not have realised that was, not much more than, a presenter.

You are a great inspiration to people, right?

Keep tappin on that keyboard of yours & maybe in a milion years, someone, somewhere might find your point of view cool.

I hope not.

Da Shins Kelly · 05-01-2013 03:56AM

IamtheWalrus wrote: »

Doesn't mean he deserves inspiration.

It's not really up to you to tell people who they should or shouldn't be inspired by. Inspiration can come from all kinds of places and people for all kinds of reasons. David Attenborough's nature programme narration has inspired more interest in nature documentaries and attracted attention to aspects of the planet that the average person might otherwise know nothing about and would never be inclined to learn about. That is inspiration.

steddyeddy · 05-01-2013 03:58AM

He has inspired more zoologists than any other. Whether some people don't think that he deserves inspiration he certainly has it.

K-9 · 05-01-2013 04:04AM

John Hume, went into peace talks with Adams, hugely criticised in the Sunday Independent for it, doubted him myself.

The image of him breaking down crying at a funeral, while he was still talking to Gerry Adams and the IRA, how it nearly broke him, how people attacked him for sticking to his belief talking would win out, stuck with it gentleman he was, and now we've peace in Northern Ireland.

IamtheWalrus · 05-01-2013 04:04AM

Da Shins Kelly wrote: »

It's not really up to you to tell people who they should or shouldn't be inspired by. Inspiration can come from all kinds of places and people for all kinds of reasons. David Attenborough's nature programme narration has inspired more interest in nature documentaries and attracted attention to aspects of the planet that the average person might otherwise know nothing about and would never be inclined to learn about. That is inspiration.

Fair point. His work has inspired throves, I'm sure, of people. My point is that the shows you watch are based on research by people who have spent years researching this stuff (my inspiration btw). I have an issue with people giving the presenter of a show the credit, when in fact he is just the face of the work done by other people.

13spanner · 05-01-2013 04:05AM

The story of William Wallace has always inspired me.

Granted the film Braveheart is probably loaded with pure fiction or inaccuracies or whatever, but it'd still get the heart racing

steddyeddy · 05-01-2013 04:06AM

K-9 wrote: »

John Hume, went into peace talks with Adams, hugely criticised in the Sunday Independent for it, doubted him myself.

The image of him breaking down crying at a funeral, while he was still talking to Gerry Adams and the IRA, how it nearly broke him, how people attacked him for sticking to his belief talking would win out, stuck with it gentleman he was, and now we've peace in Northern Ireland.

He was also a hero of mine and didn't get the credit he deserved imo.

nimrod86 · 05-01-2013 04:08AM

Ian McKeever - dedicated his life to charity work and helping others to realize what they were capable of doing if they put their mind to it. He motivated me to climb Kilimanjaro with him last summer and was there for me and hundreds of others every step of the way. He did many great things for charity, but was so modest about it all. He taught me many valuable life lessons on the mountain and certainly has made an major impression on my life.

Lapin · 05-01-2013 04:08AM

steddyeddy wrote: »

He was also a hero of mine and didn't get the credit he deserved imo.

RE - John Hume.

Flawed as it is, recognition doesn't come much higher than the Nobel Peace Prize.

Stained Class · 05-01-2013 04:11AM

John Lennon wrote 'In my life' when he was 25.

I'm fairly sure Paul Mc Cartney was a little bit younger when he wrote 'Yesterday'

That's why I love the Beatles.

burgermasters · 05-01-2013 04:13AM

Michael Collins, the only man ever to bring an empire to its knees, ruben carter (the hurricane) jfk and Garth brooks. Oh and bobby sands for fighting and died for what he believed in.

Lapin · 05-01-2013 04:15AM

burgermasters wrote: »

Michael Collins, the only man ever to bring an empire to its knees.....

Really ?

burgermasters · 05-01-2013 04:16AM

Lapin wrote: »

Really ?

Well the British empire that is!

K-9 · 05-01-2013 04:18AM

Lapin wrote: »

RE - John Hume.

Flawed as it is, recognition doesn't come much higher than the Nobel Peace Prize.

I think the picture of him crying would have broke any ordinary individual, the talks were crumbling, only John Hume could have rose above all that.

How he overcame that and battled on is inspiring.

Stained Class · 05-01-2013 04:27AM

burgermasters wrote: »

Well the British empire that is!

Have another few of them burgers.

It might keep you quiet.

burgermasters · 05-01-2013 04:32AM

Stained Class wrote: »

Have another few of them burgers.

It might keep you quiet.

Man was a genius! What's there to keep quiet about? Maybe its a burger you need? Or some warm milk help you sleep? You seem a little cranky

goz83 · 05-01-2013 04:32AM

burgermasters wrote: »

Well the British empire that is!

The empire that once had 3 thirds of the globe

Inside joke

burgermasters · 05-01-2013 04:34AM

goz83 wrote: »

The empire that once had 3 thirds of the globe

Inside joke

Wondered when not would show up? Welcome goz

burgermasters · 05-01-2013 04:35AM

goz83 wrote: »

The empire that once had 3 thirds of the globe

Inside joke

Oh and by the way? That's getting old

goz83 · 05-01-2013 04:38AM

burgermasters wrote: »

Wondered when not would show up? Welcome goz

When? I'm never gone

Who inspires me? Hmmmmm

That's a tough one. But a quote perhaps.

It doesn't matter whether a man believes he can, or believes he can't, either way, he's right. - Henry Ford.

K-9 · 05-01-2013 05:49AM

Just because somebody believes in a cause doesn't make it right.

steddyeddy · 05-01-2013 11:26AM

goz83 wrote: »

When? I'm never gone

Who inspires me? Hmmmmm

That's a tough one. But a quote perhaps.

It doesn't matter whether a man believes he can, or believes he can't, either way, he's right. - Henry Ford.

The inspiring thing relating to that man is that Ford now support gay marriage

. The bigot will be rolling in his grave!

05-01-2013 11:36AM

I find Brian O'Driscoll inspiring.

Also, some excellent suggestions in this thread, although I couldn't help noticing 99% of the suggestions are men.

Of course, now that I've mentioned that, people will be consciously trying to think of inspiring women to add to the list

Some poor sap will then say "my mother"

Lemonperv · 05-01-2013 11:40AM

Paula Abdul

mikemac1 · 05-01-2013 12:01PM

steddyeddy wrote: »

The Medici family: For the italian renaissance

You don't have to look to the past for crooked bankers

People who inspire?

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