Three Influential People

Influential People

There are many people who have had a great impact on my life and on the lives of others. Whether they are well-known or not, I want to take the time to talk about just a few of those influential people.

My Father: My dad has been there for me literally my whole life. He taught me how to ride my bike, taught me about cars, taught me how to manage my money properly, and much more. He has always been active in my life and has really influenced me greatly. He is a mechanical engineer, and the main reason I want to follow a career in engineering. He has always taught me to be hands on with the situations I deal with and to think before I act. He was the first one who gave me a disassembled toy and told me to put it together by myself, leading me to develop a love of taking things apart to learn how each piece functions and then putting it back together again. My dad always wanted me to work hard at everything I did. He made sure that I got my work in on time and did things quickly and efficiently. he wanted my brothers and me to ensure him that we won't give up easily on a task just because things get difficult. He would always be very supportive of our decisions. Whatever it was we chose, I could count on my dad to support us one-hundred percent of the way. As I got older, my dad really wanted to put emphasis on being your own adult. He pushed my brothers and me to strive to do our very best and be all that we could be. He taught me how to drive a car, how to refuel a car, how to maintain a car, and how to perform minor repairs on a car. He gave me the tools to shape my own destiny and set me loose to make use of those tools to develop myself as a person.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi: Gandhi is one of the most recognized names in the world. He is well known for fighting British oppression of Indians through non-violent resolutions. Gandhi was raised in a household that practiced Vaishnavism and Jainism, an Indian religion that practices nonviolence and views all living things as everlasting, and his staunch belief in ahimsa, the non-injury of all living things. Gandhi was very influential in part because he was willing to stand up against violent oppression using no violent action; something not often witnessed in history. He united many people of India to go against the poor and unfair treatment they were receiving and lead them, garnering Gandhi the title of Mahatma, or "Great Soul." Another aspect of Gandhi that makes him influential, perhaps most important of all, was his steadfast resistance to the use of violence as a means to achieve what he believed in. Gandhi was more spiritual than he was political. Gandhi was someone who had a religious mission, to reach enlightenment and follow a path of purity. Gandhi abstained from drugs, alcohol, intercourse, and violence. Gandhi, while he came from simple roots, grew to become one of the most influential and recognizable people in history. His stance and practice of non violent protests influenced many people throughout future history to take a stance against oppression using non violent means as well. Gandhi's use of peace rather than violence was recognized by many social leaders that would also lead civil and moral battles against their oppressors. Martin Luther King Jr. was influenced by Gandhi; utilizing Gandhi's methodology and approach to deal with segregation and inequality. In many ways, Gandhi's influence still lives on today. Gandhi's actions have proven that non-violence can be more influential than violent action and have a greater, longer-lasting effect on people and the circumstances they live with.

Nikola Tesla: While Nikola Tesla made many valuable contributions to the fields of electrical and mechanical engineering and developed ideas and technologies that are still being used today. Nikola Tesla is most known for designing the Alternating Current electricity supply system, a system more efficient than the Direct Current developed by Edison. The Alternating Current is used in contemporary history for many applications due to its efficiency at transmitting electricity in a grid. An iconic piece of technology that Tesla invented is the "Tesla coil," a device that is capable of creating striking electrical arcs, which is still used in radio technology to this very day. Tesla was very asocial, spending upwards of fifteen hours working every day and averaging only two hours of sleep each day. He would often develop new inventions, some of which have had great impact on technology in today's society. The work he did had evident influence of the development of the radio; work that helped to propel the technologies of the past even farther than what could have possibly been hoped for. His influence extended even further with contributions being attributed to the development of x-ray and radar technologies. He even discovered the rotating magnetic field, the premise for Alternating Current machinery used in modern time. The intentions of Nikola Tesla were to provide the entire world with easily accessible information and free electricity. However, the project lost funding and forced Tesla into bankruptcy. Not too long after, he died of coronary thrombosis. However, the ideas he concocted and inventions he made still influence the world today and the man who made these revolutionary technologies will continue to influence many young inventors for generations to come.