This I Believe

"This I Believe (edited by Jay Allison & Dan Gediman) is an international project engaging people in writing, sharing, and discussing the core values that guide their daily lives. These short statements of belief, written by people from all walks of life, are archived here and featured on public radio in the United States, as well as in regular broadcasts on NPR. The project is based on the popular 1950s radio series of the same name hosted by Edward R. Murrow."

The short essays in this book all express what the author believes. They range from the religious to the practical, from political to inspirational, from optimistic to pessimistic. Some are from well-known figures such as Leonard Bernstein, Isabel Allende, Albert Einstein, and Bill Gates to people only known to their friends and families like Josh Rittenberg and Jackie Lantry.

Here's a sampling of beliefs. Each is elaborated in the short 3-4 page essay by the author.

• "I believe in America, and I believe in our people." (Colin Powell)
• "I believe in barbecue. As soul food and comfort food and health food, as cuisine of both solace and celebration." (Jason Sheehan)
• "I believe in always going to the funeral." (Deirdre Sullivan)
• "I believe it is possible for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things." (Jody Williams)
• "I believe that the world is inherently a very dangerous place and that things that are now very good can go bad very quickly." (Newt Gingrich)
• "I believe I have to remove myself from the voices that barrage me in order to find my true compass. This includes a daily walk just to listen." (Susan Cosio)
• "I believe that everyone deserves flowers on their graves." (Eliva Bautista)
• "I believe that curiosity, wonder, and passion are defining qualities of imaginative minds and great teachers; that restlessness and discontent are vital things; and that intense experience and suffering instruct us in ways less intesne emotions can never do." (Kay Redfield Jamison)

I have a statement and essay of my own sketched out in my head... someday I might share. What about you? What do you believe?