A Genuine Rock Star

I drove to Springfield Tuesday night to see a rock star. Not everyone would call him that, but, in a perfect world, he would be as famous as any performer you could name. The man I went to hear speak is Muhammad Yunus, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. He is an economist from Bangladesh, one of the most poverty-stricken places in the world.

Dr. Yunus's claim to fame is due to the significant advances he has made in the area of "microcredit," the concept of loaning small amounts of money to people who are not "bankable," meaning they have no credit history, no collateral and often, no apparent means of repayment. Loans are made so the borrowers can purchase what they need to run a business, become self-sufficient and stop being poor. His idea has been modeled in over a hundred countries around the world, and I hope you will take the time to learn more about this remarkable man who has helped millions of people help themselves. (His website: http://www.muhammadyunus.org/)

He said a number of things which have had me thinking all week about the very real possibilities which exist for measurable change in poverty levels. But there was one thing, in particular, he said which stands out as much as anything else. He told how it became too difficult for him to go to work every day and teach lovely economic theories while people were starving to death right outside his door.

He didn't know what he could do, but he finally decided he couldn't ignore the situation any longer. Even if he only helped one person, for one day, at least that would be something. After some research (and discovering that people were becoming hopelessly indebted to loansharks over amounts that were less than one dollar), his first step was to loan, out of his own pocket, a total of $27 to 42 people. From that one small act, a worldwide movement emerged.

We cannot underestimate the significance of taking even one small step toward helping one another. Love is a powerful and mighty force. It tears down strongholds and brings freedom and hope. God alone is our rock and our salvation, but those who build on that foundation, like Dr. Yunus has, well, I don't know what to call someone like that other than a genuine rock star.