Noted

While I didn't watch much of The Oscars last night, I did catch one part that really struck a cord with me. The clip was actually from the Governor's Awards that were delivered back in November and were recapped last night. Harry Belafonte was the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award this year and what he said in part of his acceptance speech was nothing short of moving and really stuck with me (you can read and watch more of the speech here).

"I really wish I could be around for the rest of this century to see what Hollywood does with the rest of the century. Maybe, just maybe, it could be civilization’s game changer. After all, Paul Robeson said, ‘Artists are the radical voice of civilization.’ Each and every one of you in this room, with your gifts and your power and your skills, could perhaps change the way in which our global humanity mistrusts itself. Perhaps we as artists and as visionaries, for what’s better in the human heart and the human soul, could influence citizens everywhere in the world to see the better side of who and what we are as a species."

What an incredible challenge for Mr, Belafonte to put forth to his fellow artists. What if we all took this approach to our work and lives? It reminded me of a Steve Jobs quote that I came across last week.

While it can be daunting and a little bit scary to think that we've got one life to cram all of our hopes, dreams, and goals into, it can also be pretty darn inspiring.