Humans of the World: People that inspire Ananas
Ananas is on a mission to fight hate and promote peace through understanding. We’re creating an accessible and scalable solution that will not only help the world gather together regardless of background and differences but also help the world understand belief systems in a way that wasn’t possible before this year. From a team with various backgrounds but a shared sentiment for making the world a better place, here are some of the people who inspire us to wake up every morning and do the work we do.
The following remarkable individuals have been chosen due to their hard work, positive attitudes, and fantastic contributions to the world. We truly believe these efforts have had an indelible impact, and Ananas hopes to follow suit in our own peace-through-technology way!
First up is the amazing Kofi Annan, a man of many honours and awards, former Secretary General of the UN and a co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in revitalising UN efforts to make the world a more peaceful place. Annan has led missions to battle HIV in Africa, oppose international terrorism, and most recently investigate the Rohingya crisis. He also set up the Kofi Annan Foundation, a nonprofit that focuses on promoting better global governance and strengthening the capacities of people and countries to achieve a fairer, more peaceful world. We really admire Annan (and it doesn’t hurt that Ananas Chief Operating Officer Bjørn Ihler is a Kofi Annan fellow).
Annans’ words, “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family,” resonate with the team as we build a community education tool for all. Knowledge is power, information is liberating, and with today’s issues around misinformation, we believe everyone deserves context with the information they receive.
Second up is the extraordinary Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest Nobel Prize laureate and a human rights advocatefocussed on the education of women. Yousafzai grew up in the Taliban Swat occupation of Pakistan where, despite death threats, she openly spoke up for educational rights and started blogging undercover for BBC about the situation, detailing firsthand the difficulties of the occupation and her day to day experience of living under Taliban rule. Malala was later shot in the head (almost dying at the hands of terrorists) but has continued undaunted to speak out for education and women’s rights all around the world.
Our team’s favourite quote, also noted in our white paper, belongs to the one and only Malala Yousafzai: “With guns you can kill terrorists, with education you can kill terrorism.” With trillions of dollars spent on the war on terror, we believe we can take a more structured nonviolent approach to preventing extremism through education and by facilitating constructive interaction between disparate communities.
Third is Mark Zuckerberg, the notorious Facebook tech giant and philanthropist. He has devoted his life to giving people the power to build community and bring the world closer together with Facebook. Zuckerberg is a big advocate for bridging communities and has implemented so many great features to Facebook to help the world, from communication and fighting hate speech to helping individuals mark themselves safe during times of crisis for their loved ones to know.
Ananas shares Zuckerberg’s attitude when he says, “There is no place for hate in our community.” He’s absolutely right. Life is short and everyone has so much potential. Let’s not waste any energy on hate and instead focus on building bridges, growing together in harmony.
Fourth is strong Sheryl Sandberg, the female tech leader known for her fantastic LeanIn movement. She has helped millions of women worldwide to stand up for their rights in the workspace and assert their leadership skills. Sandberg is incredibly sharp and the first ever woman to be on Facebook’s board of directors. She has spent her life being a role model for women and helping them reach for the stars. Sandberg also stands for equality and knowledge.
Sandberg states, “The upside of painful knowledge is so much greater than the downside of blissful ignorance.” At Ananas we want to fight ignorance and foster progressive learning despite the challenges of painful knowledge. We want to help people seek the truth, whatever it may be.
Apple CEO Tim Cook is fifth in our lineup of inspirations. There isn’t much disclosed about Cook online as he’s quite a private guy, but what we do know is that he’s a man of hard work and compassion. He’s one of the best tech leaders in history, from when he served as chief operating officer working side by side with former Apple CEO Steve Jobs (whom he offered part of his liver to — although Jobs wouldn’t take it) to now, as he continues to make strides with the company. Earlier this year he was one of the tech giants to speak up against the attacks in Charlottesville, stating, “Hate is a cancer, and when left unchecked it destroys everything in its path.”
Hate is indeed a cancer, and we will not let it fester in our world. Cook’s great leadership and willingness to speak up as a voice of reason is admired.
Number six is Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. Nadella is an exceptional leader who conveys emotionality, intellect, and cooperation as his top character traits. He openly states his mind and understands people while working to empower them with innovative technology. He’s a firm believer in constructive dialogue for education and states, “It is an especially important time to be connected with people, and listen and learn from people’s experiences.”
Ananas intends to do just that: help people connect, listen, and learn from each other for a better future.
Sundar Pichai hails in at seven as CEO of Google and a man who stands firmly against terror. His belief: “Terrorism is designed to divide us. The challenge and best response is to speak out, to give hatred no place to fester, and to unite around the values we share.”
Whether it’s the far right or IS, these ideologies are creating division that only brings harm to society. Ananas believes in unity and has even chosen its name as a symbol of welcome and inclusivity. Much like Pichai states, we must look into the values everyone shares to truly understand and battle against hate.
Last but not least is the world’s most beloved writer, JK Rowling. Novelist, screenwriter, and philanthropist Rowling definitely has a way with her words. Ananas believes in Rowling’s eloquently put statement, “We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.” Ananas aims to unite the world as we take on understanding each other.
Thanks for checking out who inspires Ananas! We have plenty more people who help shape our hopes — the classic Gandhi, Mandela and MLK come to mind — but we decided to stick with those most current for today.
If you’d like to join in our mission of peace through technology, the Anacoin token sale is happening now.
