Norman Borlaug, one of humanities greatest hero's.

A dear friend recently got in touch to check in on me. He could tell I was angry and frustrated.

After some reflection I realized he was right.?

As a result I’m making a conscious effort to look at the world with a more positive attitude.

I’m also starting to write my next book. I have always found the action of writing therapeutic, and there’s even a chance (slim probably), that others might get something from it as well.

So today I wanted to celebrate Norman Borlaug, a Nobel prize winner, who did more for humanity than any religious leader, politician, business person, sports star or celebrity over the last 100 years.

Norman didn’t care about fame, or money, or any idealistic utopia. He cared about humanity. All of it. Not Christians, or Muslims, or black, white, or anything other color, creed, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or political view.

He knew from personal? experience that starving, desperate people must be helped. Everything else is simply noise.

In the 1960s the view among scientists and governments was that billions of people would die of starvation in the developing world in the second half of the 20th century. It was considered an unfixable problem, simply part of the human condition.

Populations had boomed and busted throughout history, why was now any different? The principal was first explained in 1783 by Thomas Malthus in his book An Essay on the Principle of Population.

Norman simply refused to accept this “wisdom”.

He picked up the plough and started solving the problems of world hunger. He didn’t “do” paperwork, or long studies, or talking about it, or hand wringing. He knew the problems of feeding a rapidly growing population couldn’t wait.

His motto was. Get the plough. Start growing now.

Because of Norman billions of people who were predicted to die of starvation didn’t.?

Norman Borlaug should be a hero to humanity, but I suspect for most people reading this article, he is completely unknown.

I have known of Norman for a long time, but reacquainted myself with him after thinking more about long term thinking. A commodity that humans are absolutely dreadful at. Norman thought long term, we need a lot more people like him.

I am Interested to hear if you have other long term thinkers that I should learn about.

Also interested to know if this was the first you’d heard of Norman.

Here is Norman’s Wikipedia page.

Norman Borlaug obituary?

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