Utne Reader - 50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World

I haven't heard of most of these folks, which is always fun, and it's a very eclectic list. They have rightfully chosen the Dalai Lama as the exemplar for this list of visionaries.

50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World

November-December 2009

by Staff, Utne Reader

Image Gallery

image by Gluekit / www.gluekit.com

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. On paper and in person his visage exudes optimism, righteous ambition, and immeasurable humility. Which is why, as we searched for an iconic figure to represent this, our second annual list of visionaries, his name immediately jumped to mind. That’s because the visionaries we were drawn to made the cut not for being revolutionary inventors, innovative environmentalists, vociferous outcasts, or intrepid reformers—although you’ll find all of these enviable character types on the following pages—but for the unwavering, inexhaustible sense of purpose they bring to their work.

Labors of peace, love, and justice are rarely recognized by our celebrity-obsessed media, and by extension most of us. Quiet resolve does not fill tents at the circus. Principle doesn’t make for a sexy photo. Selflessness, unless it is exhibited by heroes in the heat of a crisis, is often presented as weakness. Yet it is only the strongest among us who can stay true to a vision.

This section is a tribute to that resolve. Here’s hoping it inspires your dreams.

Christian Bök
Experimental Poet
This poet isn’t content with words on a page—he prefers to work under mind-bending constraints that truly stretch his linguistic limits.

Dave Zirin
Sports Columnist
In his “Edge of Sports” column and other multimedia outlets, Zirin brings a progressive eye to the world of athletics. He’s the thinking fan’s sportswriter, using our various fields of battle as a sociological lens.

Noah Baker Merrill
Cofounder, Direct Aid Iraq
This humanitarian activist won’t let Americans forget Iraq. Even (and especially) as the country and its people fade from U.S. headlines, Baker Merrill builds bridges of friendship and restitution.

Wafaa El-Sadr
Founder, International Center for AIDS Care and Treatment Programs
When Wafaa El-Sadr first encountered people suffering from AIDS in 1982, there were fewer than 5,000 known cases of the disease. In just a few years, the annual rate of infection would hit 130,000. If there was a ground floor for the epidemic, El-Sadr was on it.

Parvez Sharma
Filmmaker
Sharma traveled a broad swath of the Islamic world to film A Jihad for Love, a first-of-its-kind documentary about gay and lesbian Muslims who are struggling to reconcile their faith with their sexuality.

Mark Kastel
Cofounder, Cornucopia Institute
When you buy organic, you want to trust the label. Kastel and his small but dogged Cornucopia crew make sure that organic food producers are walking their talk by snooping around their barnyards and their balance sheets.

David Oaks
Director, MindFreedom International
People who suffer from mental and emotional problems often have few personal advocates, let alone political or cultural influence. Oaks’ group, MindFreedom International, stands up for them by campaigning against forced medication, abuse of rights, and the media biases that really get these “psychiatric survivors” down.

Maya Enista
CEO, Mobilize.org
Maya Enista wants to create an AARP for the millennial generation, helping people people see millennials as having more value than just helping with your social networking.

Richard Nash
Founder, Cursor
This indie book publishing icon is turning the entire industry on its head in his bold new venture. And guess what—you, dear readers, are the stars of the show.

Go check out the whole list of remarkable people.

Tags: culture, change, visionaries, Utne Reader, 50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama