Lead Story
“When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary achievements, all your thoughts break their bonds: Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world.”
This section brings to you stories of the agents of change whose unique vision has the potential to transform lives of the millions. We bring you the inspirational and engaging story of environmentalist Dr. John Francis, who walked from one end of the United States to the other for 22 years and took a 17-year vow of silence to raise environmental consciousness and promote world peace; thus making us realise our duty towards Mother Earth.
BE INSPIRED
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Dr John Francis:
22 Years of Walking, 17 Years of Silence Dr. John Francis walks the Earth, carrying a message of careful, truly sustainable development and respect for our planet. Dr. John Francis was in his twenties when a 1971 oil spill in San Francisco Bay jarred his comfortable life. Even as he joined the volunteers who scrubbed the beaches and fought to save birds and sea creatures poisoned by petroleum, he felt the need to make a deeper, more personal commitment. As an affirmation of his responsibility to our planet, he chose to stop using motorized vehicles and began walking wherever he went. His decision was greeted with surprise, disbelief, and even mockery – but it was only the start of a much deeper transformation. A few months later he took a vow of silence that would last seventeen years. For the next 22 years, he trekked and sailed around North and South America, carrying a message of respect for the Earth — for 17 of those years, without speaking. During his monumental, silent trek, he earned an MA in environmental studies and a PhD in land resources. His planet walks call attention to the damage human beings do to the earth, and create a new understanding of our responsibility for the planet's health. From peace and justice to everyday civility, Francis contends that our connection to the earth as well as to each other is at the heart of the environmental crisis. Today his Planetwalk foundation consults on sustainable development and works with educational groups to teach kids about the environment. "Part of the mystery of walking is that the destination is inside us and we really don't know when we arrive until we arrive." John Francis
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