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Stories of Hope

Podcasts of selected abridged essays by Daisaku Ikeda about the extraordinary lives and ideas of remarkable people with whom he has met

Title Description
Arnold Toynbee—Another Way of Seeing Things British historian Arnold Toynbee dared to challenge stereotypes of people and cultures—and was fired from London University as a result.
Brian Wildsmith—Opening the Door to a World of Dreams, Hope and Magic Through his illustrations of children’s books, Brian Wildsmith strove to awaken the creativity of young readers.
Chingiz Aitmatov—The Writer's Path Undergoing severe suffering in his youth, he went on to establish himself as one of the best known figures in Kyrgyzstan's literature.
Hazel Henderson—A Message of Hope In the 1960s, this “ordinary housewife” fought successfully to secure the right for children to breathe clean air.
Jose Abueva—Refusing to Hate His family was brutally murdered by Japanese soldiers. Yet, the Filipino educator’s story is one of forgiveness and hope for a harmonious future.
Martin Seligman—Learning to Hope This framer of “positive psychology” asserts that optimism can change our lives.
Nelson Mandela—Lion of Freedom Despite being imprisoned for 10,000 days for his unwavering belief in human dignity, he never gave in to despair.
Ordinary People—The Courage to Rebuild This is a story of hope, strength and resilience of people battling to rebuild their lives and communities following a catastrophic natural disaster.
Václav Havel—The Tenacity of Hope He is remembered for his efforts to humanize politics, providing a source of hope for those who struggle against authoritarianism.
Wangari Maathai—The Spirit of Reverence for Life Why the Japanese word mottainai became a rallying cry for this icon of environmentalism and women's empowerment.

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