Emulating Compassion
By Dani Toscano
Altruism. Philanthropy. Humility. Three words that came into my mind as twenty African children swarmed around my family and me, as we were welcomed into a Masaii village. Women gathered around and gingerly ran their fingers through our hair, as if it was the most precious silk, while theirs was closely shaven. I had never experienced anything that could prepare me to come face to face with such a small foreign tribe of African people. We walked around for a bit, traded jewelry, and finally reached the school hut where children looked at us with huge brown eyes, wondering who we were. I watched as flies found their way to their beautiful brown cheeks, eyebrows, and even ears, yet they didn’t flinch one bit. They were used to these conditions as they had never experienced anything else. In that instant I wanted to help these people somehow- with water, with food, with anything I could. I wanted to practice pure altruism, giving them whatever might make their lives even a bit better. I thought of the people I had read about and what they had accomplished. I thought again of those three words. Who embodies altruism, philanthropy, and humility? Who could I emulate if I could choose one person? The answer became clear immediately: Audrey Hepburn, for her tireless efforts working with UNICEF, for her beauty inside and out, and for her overall love of doing favors for others.
With her upbringing centered on her having so little, she knew what poverty-stricken children lived with. Her first trip was to Ethiopia, which at the time was the poorest country in the world. At a press conference after the trip she said, “I’m very impressed by the people of Ethiopia. By their beauty by their dignity by their patience and by their enormous desire, their enormous will is to help themselves. Not to simply sit there waiting. Their patience is a patience which comes I think partly from their religion, partly from their characters, of dealing with their luck the best they can, facing facts the best they can.” Guatemalan drinking water, Bangladesh schools, and camps for Sudanese orphans became well known missions Audrey undertook successfully. Truly this woman had only selflessness in her heart, constantly giving to those less fortunate than herself, and always with an open mind.
Like me, she was never closed-minded to the situations of those around her. Growing up, my family taught me to be open to everyone, including people who may be ignorant themselves. To this day, I have shown that quality whether the person is of color, age, or another stature.
Audrey took full of advantage of her God-given talents in all facets of entertainment, philanthropy, art, and numerous endeavors. She was a ballet dancer, a model, an actress, and a distinct role model for many who had never thought to travel to foreign lands to help others. Although I don’t possess all the talents Audrey had myself, I practice other forms of art such as sketching, painting, and photography. I think that as I get older and find other resources I can tap into, I will be a role model to others someday, showing that when a person lives selflessly while doing something they enjoy, they set a positive cycle in motion that others will follow. Audrey did that for me, through her examples of the right way to live as a talented humanitarian, and a dynamic role model.
Works Cited
Hall, Susan G. “American icons: an encyclopedia of the people, places, and things.” Vol. 1. Greenwood Group. Google. <http://books.google.com/
Jackson, Denny. "Audrey Hepburn." Audrey Hepburn- Biography. IMDb. <http://www.imdb.com/name/
"UNICEF People: Audrey Hepburn." UNICEF- UNICEF People. UNICEF, 14 Oct. 2004. <http://www.unicef.org/people/
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