In LOVE with Humanity

Hero #120: George Bernhard Shaw
Born in 1856, George Bernhard Shaw was an Irish playwright, essayist, novelist,
and short story writer. Nearly all his works & writings address prevailing social
problems, doing so most often with a vein of comedy which made their stark themes
a bit easier to contemplate. Among the issues upon which Shaw focused were
education, animal rights, religion, government, health care, and class privilege …
Of all the campaigns available to him, Shaw was most intensely disturbed &
even angered by the exploitation of the masses, and he became an accomplished
verbal defender in the furtherance of such causes, orating regularly for equal rights
for men and women, equal rights for animals (what folks called ―vegetarianism‖ in his
day; what folks call ―veganism‖ today), the alleviation of abuses of the working class,
the rescinding of private ownership of lands that should be public, and the
promotion of healthier lifestyles.
―This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by
yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish selfish
little clod of ailments and grievances, complaining that the world will not
devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the
whole community, and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I
can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more
I live. Life is no brief candle to me; it is a sort of splendid torch which I have
got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible
before handing it on to future generations.‖ ~ George Bernard Shaw
137