Its 6 AM in the morning. Electrifying break beats are flowing through my headphones. I just have to get some thoughts on paper.
I am almost done with Richard Branson’s biography. It is simply amazing. I have to keep reminding myself that this book is a work of non-friction about a real person. I have read many fantasies lord of the rings like books in the past. Branson’s life can be said to be on to be on the verge of being an epic comparable to Frodo’s quest to destroy the ring. He came from an average background to become a billionaire entrepreneur with one of the most successful companies in the world. The portion of the book that I enjoyed the most described his impact as a businessman on society, specifically, his contributions to the refuges when Iraq invaded Kuwait. At that time, Virgin airlines was a tiny operation losing money day by day as oil prices rose higher. Instead of worrying about his lost profits, one day, Branson replaced all the seats of one of his 747s with blankets, and flew them from the UK to Jordan for the freezing refuges. Something of this magnitude is unimaginable for a private business. Yet, that was only the tip of the iceberg. During the invasion, Saddam Hussein captured many westerners to serve as body shields for his own protection. The whole might of the free world was not able to persuade the hostages’ release. However, Branson, through his charitable efforts was able to convince the King of Jordan to serve as liaison to negotiate with Saddam Hussein the release of women, children, and the sick. As the result, Branson once again flew his own 747 in for the rescue. This time, however, the dangers of losing the plane and their lives were very real and apparent. The destination was a nation at war with the rest of the world. Branson with a courageous volunteering crew from his airline was able to stymie their fears and brought back the hostages successfully.
A businessman can add value society in several ways. The most noticeable is their effort to spur the economy by efficiently allocating resources. Through this process, jobs are created and everyone can lead a better life. From this, the businessman is rewarded by the market for their brilliant judgments and innovative solutions. That is basically what they are paid to do. Branson has demonstrated another way to add value by utilizing his resources in a constructive manner to help the world, even if he suffered short-term loses. Branson, like most highly successful people, is very smart and hardworking. Unlike most of the masses, Branson was in a position to make a change and he did just that. Because he had the intelligence and the resources, if he had refused to take action, it would be the wrong thing to do. Yet, many people with the same resources do it everyday. They should appreciate the fact that they were gifted with the intelligence, or the skill, or the talent, and realize that there are many others out there who aren’t as gifted as themselves. Their gifts should be received with reservation. With these gifts that placed them in these enviable positions, they are also bearers of the duty to use what they have to further society. As Dr. Octopus so brilliantly said to spider men before he turned evil that intelligence wasn’t distributed evenly and the ones who are gifted bears a burden to share his good fortune with the rest of the people.
I believe strongly that one should just generally be a good person. The thought of just being a good person is not good enough is infuriating to me. It is already hard enough in this date and time to accomplish just that. How can you demand more. If everyone had the desire to do the right thing, the good thing, then we wouldn’t have much of the problem we are facing now.
Other chapters give further proof of Branson’s accomplishments as a businessman. He had a brilliant mind for business. He didn’t think in numbers. He had a much broader view of any business he entered into. The basic judgment of risk and return was the foremost of his concerns. His tenacity and fearlessness are what amazed me the most. He started his first company at the tender age of 16. He was negotiating with high-powered bankers before he was even 20 years old. Once Branson has set a goal, he worked very very very hard to make sure it did materialize. He also had a lot of fun in the process. But the fun was partly derived from his work. He was successful because he enjoyed what he did immensely. There are so much other things that amaze me but it is almost 7 am and I’m falling asleep at the keyboard. I just need to reiterate how fearless he was. What made him to make the decisions that he did? One of the stories was how he was stranded at a vocation island with many other tourists because their flight was cancelled. He made a couple phone calls, chartered a plane, wrote the name Virgin Airlines on a blackboard, and proceeded to sell tickets to the stranded tourists on his 2 min old airline. That story exemplifies just how smart and innovative one has the ability to become. It takes a little effort to reaffirm in my mind that he is a real person, alive and well, that it was not a conjured up fictional character. Reading this book gives me the impression that the sky is the limit. You have to set your goals and run with it. Let nothing stand in your way to achieve your dreams.
I am almost done with Richard Branson’s biography. It is simply amazing. I have to keep reminding myself that this book is a work of non-friction about a real person. I have read many fantasies lord of the rings like books in the past. Branson’s life can be said to be on to be on the verge of being an epic comparable to Frodo’s quest to destroy the ring. He came from an average background to become a billionaire entrepreneur with one of the most successful companies in the world. The portion of the book that I enjoyed the most described his impact as a businessman on society, specifically, his contributions to the refuges when Iraq invaded Kuwait. At that time, Virgin airlines was a tiny operation losing money day by day as oil prices rose higher. Instead of worrying about his lost profits, one day, Branson replaced all the seats of one of his 747s with blankets, and flew them from the UK to Jordan for the freezing refuges. Something of this magnitude is unimaginable for a private business. Yet, that was only the tip of the iceberg. During the invasion, Saddam Hussein captured many westerners to serve as body shields for his own protection. The whole might of the free world was not able to persuade the hostages’ release. However, Branson, through his charitable efforts was able to convince the King of Jordan to serve as liaison to negotiate with Saddam Hussein the release of women, children, and the sick. As the result, Branson once again flew his own 747 in for the rescue. This time, however, the dangers of losing the plane and their lives were very real and apparent. The destination was a nation at war with the rest of the world. Branson with a courageous volunteering crew from his airline was able to stymie their fears and brought back the hostages successfully.
A businessman can add value society in several ways. The most noticeable is their effort to spur the economy by efficiently allocating resources. Through this process, jobs are created and everyone can lead a better life. From this, the businessman is rewarded by the market for their brilliant judgments and innovative solutions. That is basically what they are paid to do. Branson has demonstrated another way to add value by utilizing his resources in a constructive manner to help the world, even if he suffered short-term loses. Branson, like most highly successful people, is very smart and hardworking. Unlike most of the masses, Branson was in a position to make a change and he did just that. Because he had the intelligence and the resources, if he had refused to take action, it would be the wrong thing to do. Yet, many people with the same resources do it everyday. They should appreciate the fact that they were gifted with the intelligence, or the skill, or the talent, and realize that there are many others out there who aren’t as gifted as themselves. Their gifts should be received with reservation. With these gifts that placed them in these enviable positions, they are also bearers of the duty to use what they have to further society. As Dr. Octopus so brilliantly said to spider men before he turned evil that intelligence wasn’t distributed evenly and the ones who are gifted bears a burden to share his good fortune with the rest of the people.
I believe strongly that one should just generally be a good person. The thought of just being a good person is not good enough is infuriating to me. It is already hard enough in this date and time to accomplish just that. How can you demand more. If everyone had the desire to do the right thing, the good thing, then we wouldn’t have much of the problem we are facing now.
Other chapters give further proof of Branson’s accomplishments as a businessman. He had a brilliant mind for business. He didn’t think in numbers. He had a much broader view of any business he entered into. The basic judgment of risk and return was the foremost of his concerns. His tenacity and fearlessness are what amazed me the most. He started his first company at the tender age of 16. He was negotiating with high-powered bankers before he was even 20 years old. Once Branson has set a goal, he worked very very very hard to make sure it did materialize. He also had a lot of fun in the process. But the fun was partly derived from his work. He was successful because he enjoyed what he did immensely. There are so much other things that amaze me but it is almost 7 am and I’m falling asleep at the keyboard. I just need to reiterate how fearless he was. What made him to make the decisions that he did? One of the stories was how he was stranded at a vocation island with many other tourists because their flight was cancelled. He made a couple phone calls, chartered a plane, wrote the name Virgin Airlines on a blackboard, and proceeded to sell tickets to the stranded tourists on his 2 min old airline. That story exemplifies just how smart and innovative one has the ability to become. It takes a little effort to reaffirm in my mind that he is a real person, alive and well, that it was not a conjured up fictional character. Reading this book gives me the impression that the sky is the limit. You have to set your goals and run with it. Let nothing stand in your way to achieve your dreams.
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