Popular Figures

These days I think a lot about my evolution as a person.

And looking at popular figures that have evolved as people. 

Two people that I find myself constantly thinking about - Mahatma Gandhi and Mike Tyson. 

They are drastically different as people - public figures, with very different personas.

Both had violence touch their lives in some way. 

One responded by understanding, internalizing and evangelizing non-violence.

The other embraced that violence and channeled it as a way to make his livelihood. 

A non-violent  freedom fighter and a prize fighter with a penchant for confrontation. 

In living their lives, both offered something to untold millions. 

While the trajectory of their lives are wildly different, the underlying commonality that I see is the honesty with which they take stock of their lives. 

They were brutally honest in their self assessment, and transparent about their biases and shortcomings.