当普通人做出杰出成就When Ordinary People Achieve Extraordina

◎ Jody Williams 其人及其事迹
1997年的诺贝尔和平奖得主Jody Williams生于1950年，她有一位长期为身心障碍所苦的哥哥，其兄长自童年起便不断遭受同侪的欺负以及社会歧视的眼光，也因为这样的经历，让Williams感同身受，在她相当年幼的阶段即开始孕育了对于不公不义事物的憎恶。在美国唸完文学硕士学位之后，她到墨西哥去当了两年的语文老师。在墨西哥的这两年，她首度看到了美国富裕社会之外，属于赤贫世界的悲惨景象。当她回到美国，便迁移到华盛顿，进入约翰霍普金斯大学主修国际关系硕士。在这段岁月当中，她为美国的不当介入萨尔瓦多内战而感到愤怒，逐渐地，她将自己对于社会正义的热情和关怀转变成为一种 “志业”（work）。在1984到1986年间，Williams参与中南美洲的教育计画方案，而自1986到1992年间，她带领并推动国际对萨尔瓦多的人道救援计划，同时担任该计画的副主席。1991年底，美国越战退伍军人协会的主席Bobby Muller邀请Williams参与发起一个世界性禁雷运动的议题，熟悉美国对中美洲政策的Williams也就因此而有机会能够将自己的热情和理念，面向广大国际社会的政府和非正式部门。

作为反地雷组织首席策略士的Williams，她密集地以写作和演说来让世人更了解地雷的问题和禁雷之必要。她游说的主要对象包括联合国、欧盟议会以及非洲统一联盟等大型国际组织。为了能够让ICBL的禁雷理念能够更具说服力、更能引起世人的共鸣，Williams花了两年的时间，对四个遭受地雷影响的国家作绵密的田野调查，并和Shawn Roberts合着了一本书“在枪声沉寂之后”（After the Guns Fall Silent: The Enduring Legacy of Landmines），这本书论述了地雷所带来的社会经济影响，除了控诉地雷受害者负担过高的医疗费用之外，同时分析地雷对于一个社群的长期影响，包括工作机会的减少，以及土地可使用性的剧减，因为这些遭受地雷污染的土地无法拿来供农业或是放牧使用，更不用说拿来买卖了．．．．
　

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I believe in the power of love. . .

I believe that a generation of ...

I believe in the impossible

I believe that everyone wants to love and be loved.

I believe in people.

This I believe. For our Monday series, This I Believe we have an essay from Jody Williams. She shared the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for her work as founding coordinator of the International campaign to ban landmines. Here is our series curator , independent producer, Jay Alision.

In the early 1980s, Jody Williams was not on track to a Nobel Peace Prize. In fact she was working for a temperary employment agency. Leaving a subway station one day, she was handed a leaflet about global activism which provoked her to change the direction of her life. That descion , that affirmation of the potential of individual action still guides her. Here is Jody Williams with her essay for this I believe.

Official Transcript:

I believe it is possible for ordinary people to achieve extraordinary things. For me, the difference between an "ordinary" and an "extraordinary" person is not the title that person might have, but what they do to make the world a better place for us all.

I have no idea why people choose to do what they do. When I was a kid I didn't know what I wanted to be when I grew up, but I did know what I didn't want to do. I didn't want to grow up, have 2.2 kids, get married, the whole white picket fence thing. And I certainly didn't think about being an activist. I didn't even really know what one was.

My older brother was born deaf. Growing up, I ended up defending him and I often think that is what started me on my path to whatever it is I am today.

When I was approached with the idea of trying to create a landmine campaign, we were just three people in a small office in Washington, DC in late 1991. I certainly had more than a few ideas about how to begin a campaign, but what if nobody cared? What if nobody responded? But I knew the only way to answer those questions was to accept the challenge.

If I have any power as an individual, it's because I work with other individuals in countries all over the world. We are ordinary people: My friend Jemma from Armenia; Paul from Canada; Kosal, a landmine survivor from Cambodia; Haboubba from Lebanon; Christian from Norway; Diana from Colombia; Margaret, another landmine survivor from Uganda; and thousands more. We've all worked together to bring about extraordinary change. The landmine campaign is not just about landmines -- it's about the power of individuals to work with governments in a different way.

I believe in both my right and my responsibility to work to create a world that doesn't glorify violence and war, but where we seek different solutions to our common problems. I believe that these days, daring to voice your opinion, daring to find out information from a variety of sources, can be an act of courage.

I know that holding such beliefs and speaking them publicly is not always easy or comfortable or popular, particularly in the post-9/11 world. But I believe that life isn't a popularity contest. I really don’t care what people say about me -- and believe me, they’ve said plenty. For me, it’s about trying to do the right thing even when nobody else is looking.

I believe that worrying about the problems plaguing our planet without taking steps to confront them is absolutely irrelevant. The only thing that changes this world is taking action.

I believe that words are easy. I believe the truth is told in the actions we take. And I believe that if enough ordinary people back up our desire for a better world with action, I believe we can, in fact, accomplish absolutely extraordinary things.

Jody Williams, with her essay for This I Believe. Williams almost always speaks extemporaneously but she obliged this by writing down her beliefs for our series. We hope you might do the same. To find out about submitting in an essay, please visit our website npr. org, or call 202-408-0300. Incidentally this weekend you can find an essay from Maria Hosey Perez as for Lauderdale Florida in USA Weekend Magzine, our print partner. For This I Believe, I'm Jay Alison.

And next Monday on Morning Edition an essay from position pious come out of a rural Colorado. This I Believe is made possible by a grant from Farmers Insurance.

This is NPR. National Public Radio.