Abu al-‘Ala’ al-Ma‘arri, a man of keen intellect and deep thought, is respected as one of the greatest Arab classical poets. When he was four years old, al- Ma‘arri was afflicted with small pox. The illness ultimately resulted in the loss of his vision. His unconventional wisdom and philosophy and his profound reasoning had led to a sudden surge in his reputation. He rapidly became a highly sought after poet and scholar. Al-Ma‘arri was also an example of compassion to all beings. He spoke out against the killing of animals and also the use of animal skins for clothing and other fashion accessories. Nearly a thousand years after his time on Earth, the spiritual verse from the sage-like poet and philosopher Al-Ma‘arri remains as relevant as the day it was written: “What shall it profit you, the vast amount of gold and grain you gather from the land, if you have laid no dominating hand on virtues that will balance your account!” Al-Ma‘arri is respected for his bold ideas, his independent spirit, and his unrelenting drive to uphold truth and justice for all beings.

Rudolf Joseph Lorenz Steiner was born in 1861 at Kraljevec, present-day Croatia. Dr. Rudolf Steiner was a great polymath, a philosopher and scientist. An eloquent public speaker and gifted writer, he gave over 6,000 lectures in his lifetime, and he published more than 25 books. He developed and taught a path of research called anthroposophy, based on “the science of the spirit.” Rudolf Steiner was also a vegetarian. He placed great emphasis on the benefits of meditation. In 1913, Rudolf Steiner designed and built the Goetheanum, a “school of spiritual science,” in Dornach, Switzerland. This has become the world center for the anthroposophical movement. He believed that education should focus on the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of each student. In 1919, the first free Waldorf School was founded in Stuttgart, Germany, based on Dr. Steiner’s philosophy. Now, a century later, there are more than 1,000 of these Waldorf and Steiner Schools in 64 countries.

Amidst her immense fame and success, Audrey Hepburn always had a special place in her heart for UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s found. In 1988, she was appointed UNICEF Special Ambassador, and she became a Goodwill Ambassador the following year. Audrey Hepburn continued to dedicate herself to UNICEF’s cause, from making numerous field trips around the world to assist the most vulnerable. Audrey Hepburn received the United States’ highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, in December 1992. During that year, she had continued her work for UNICEF despite being ill, travelling to Somalia, Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, and the United States. In January 1993, Audrey Hepburn passed away in her sleep at her home in Switzerland, leaving an extraordinary legacy both in the arts as well as in compassion.

The much-loved Audrey Hepburn was a Hollywood legend, dance, a muse for fashion designers, and an icon for style. Glamorous and talented, she was a woman of courage and integrity, a voice for the children in need around the world, and a loving champion of peace and hope. Her performance received many positive reviews. Audrey Hepburn became the first actress to win an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and a BAFTA award for a single performance. Despite her fame and success, Audrey did not forget the strife that her family had endured. Starting in 1950, Audrey Hepburn made two radio programs for UNICEF. She narrated children’s stories in times of conflict, and in 1989 she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF.

Dr. Dame Daphne Sheldrick was a Kenyan-British author and leading elephant conservationist, specializing in the raising and reintegrating of orphaned elephants into the wild for over 30 years. Dr. Dame Daphne has authored several books, including “The Orphans of Tsavo” and “An Elephant Called Eleanor,” amongst others. In 2014, the documentary “Gardeners of Eden” was released, featuring some of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust’s courageous operations. The film portrays the tragic fate of Africa’s elephants, who are endangered due to the illegal ivory trade. “What we are doing is giving some elephants another chance of life, so that hopefully when things improve for elephants worldwide, there will still be some left.” Her tireless work to promote wildlife conservation has earned a number of accolades. She was decorated in 1989 with an MBE (The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) by the Queen of England.

David Sheldrick was fully devoted to the welfare of African wildlife, which he deemed sacrosanct. For over two decades, with Daphne's assistance, David more or less single-handedly built Tsavo East National Park, Kenya's largest national park. This sanctuary became the protected home to the country's biggest elephant population. In 1977, Dame Daphne Sheldrick's husband, David, passed away. Her husband had dedicated his life to wildlife protection and the park. In her husband's memory, Dame Daphne Sheldrick founded the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. The conservation organization has become one of Africa's oldest wildlife charities. Dame Daphne went on to spend over six decades of her life protecting wildlife in Africa as a conservationist.

William Butler Yeats continued his discovery of mysticism with lengthy experiments with the help of his wife, who shared his interest in spirituality. She introduced him to automatic writing, in which one lets go of their own conscious intent and writes by channeling their subconsciousness or the spiritual realm. With her assistance, William wrote "A Vision," first published privately in 1925, about occultism and historical cycles. William Butler Yeats concluded that within each 2,000-year era, a civilization could achieve special excellence at the midpoints of the 1,000-year halves.

William Butler Yeats, also known simply as W. B. Yeats, was born June 13, 1865, in Sandymount of County Dublin, Ireland. Considered one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, his eloquent verses reflect a love of Ireland and mysticism, and earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature. “Though leaves are many, the root is one; Through all the lying days of my youth I swayed my leaves and flowers in the sun; Now I may wither into the truth.”

In the cold Northern Russian winter of 1881, Anna Pavlova was born. Upon graduating in 1899, at age 18, Anna entered the Imperial Ballet, known today as the Ballet Company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, one of the most famous ballet companies in the world! Her wonderful charisma and the moving emotions conveyed through dance live on in the memories of all who saw her perform, in the choreographies she arranged or inspired, and in the notes of the eternal “Swan Lake.” For little Anna, the thin child of Theatre Street, the task she set out to achieve, though huge, was realized through the power of her strong determination.

Welcome to this week’s episode of Models of Success, featuring Constantin Brâncuşi, an extraordinary sculptor from Romania. Constantin Brâncuşi, widely known simply as Brâncuşi, was born in 1876 in the beautiful region of Oltenia, Romania. We spoke to Dr. Sanda Miller, Senior Lecturer in Media and Visual Arts at Southampton Solent University in the United Kingdom and the author of "Constantin Brâncuşi, A Survey of His Work," who told us more about the life and works of this renowned artist.

We are worked together ever since we were a team of six people. On the farm where I was born, we helped each other out with everything. We have kept that spirit alive and made “tillsammans” a key concept: to consider and care for each other, to put people first. To make everyone feel how important they are. Like the girls and boys who wash our dishes. We would not last an hour without clean plates. So I am telling you all that you need to feel that you are important.

I walk prayerfully and as an opportunity to talk with many people and perhaps inspire them to do something for peace also in their own way. “No one walks so safely as one who walks with great love and great faith. Such a person gets through to the good in others and cannot be harmed. This walks between individuals. This walks between groups, and it would work between nations, if nations had the courage to try it.” Walking an average of 25 miles a day, Peace kept up the same pace at 72 years old as she did in her earlier years. Peace Pilgrim left behind a legacy of love, compassion, and most importantly her message of peace.

In 1953, Peace Pilgrim began her pilgrimage, to walk in the name of nonviolence. She never asked anyone for any food and always refused money. She had no organizational backing. Years later, when she finally reached the 25,000 miles, Peace Pilgrim visited the United Nations and the US White House. She was elated to drop off the tens of thousands of signatures asking for concord. But this was not the end. Peace Pilgrim illustrate the passage of inner growth: You come to the point where you rise high enough in consciousness to look at the entire universe through the eyes of the Higher Nature.

Through life, we are fortunate to encounter admirable souls who inspire others simply with their saint-like qualities. One such individual was Peace Pilgrim, who became a proselytizer for non-violence in an era that did not subscribe to her views. Walking on foot across the United States seven times over a span of 28 years, she endeavored to encourage others to pursue their own inner peace. She knew that by creating a grassroots passive movement, the country could collectively shift towards peaceful living. She knew that people were inherently good, and needed someone to awaken them to their own higher peaceful nature.

Empress Sisi of Austria, is revered as ultimate fairytale royalty – beautiful, spirited, and enigmatic. Empress Sisi was a caring and compassionate monarch. She worked to raise the standard psychiatric health in mental. She established hospitals for the war injured and personally tended to the sick and wounded. Her friendship with Hungary was instrumental in attaining peace with Austro-Hungarian dual monarchy. At heart, she was a tender, spiritual being who wished to live simple life. her poetry reflects her spirit - sensitive and spiritual, carried out only good works and longed for higher realms, perceiving the essence of things.

Empress Elisabeth of Austria, or Empress Sisi, as she was fondly known, is revered as ultimate fairytale royalty - beautiful, spirited and enigmatic. Along with her husband, Franz Josef, she wore the crown of the Danube Monarchy from 1854 to 1898, governing a vast pluralistic state in central and southeast Europe. Though the life of Empress Sisi is still a mystery shrouded in myths, her poetry reflects Her Majesty’s true spirit. They portray a deeply sensitive and spiritual woman who carried out only good works and longed for higher realms, a being who mastered the art of perceiving the essence of things, going beyond appearances and courtly pageantry.

Mrs. Sunanda Weerasinghe is CEO of the vegetarian and vegan company Sunjan International. She served as the President of the Sri Landan Food Processors Association from 2014 to 2015. Sujan International’s brand Supersun offers a variety of delectable vegetarian and vegan products. Mrs. Weerasinghe shared her journey in creating a successful vegetarian business: “Those who have the label of humans must understand that the environment must be considered godly. This was started in 1988 as a domestic industry. In 1997, we opened a factory.”

Jan Hofmeyr, one of the greatest politicians and intellectuals of South Africa. He had an extraordinary academic background. Because he strongly opposed the separation of people, but upon becoming the Administrator of the Transvaal, he was able to make influential decisions that would serve as stepping stones to more unified change. In 1929, Jan Hofmeyr entered Parliament of the South Africa party. There he openly opposed all discriminatory (namely apartheid) laws which were being passed in the 1930s. He actively communicated the importance of an unbiased society to all parties, and in 1933, he finally succeeded in bring together the South Africa party and Nationalist Party through the creation of the United Party. Jan Hofmeyr’s unmoving efforts to bring justice and peace to South Africa are timeless beacon of light for leaders and individuals everywhere.

Dr. Erdös once said, “Why are numbers beautiful? It’s like asking why is Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony beautiful. If you don’t see why, someone can’t tell you. I know numbers are beautiful. If they aren’t beautiful, nothing is.” Recognized as one of the most prolific mathematicians of the century, Dr. Paul Erdös was the founder of discrete mathematics, a field that contemporary computer science is based on. Born on March 26, 1913 in Budapest, Hungary, Paul Erdös came from a Jewish family of mathematicians.

Leonard Cohen left our earthly abode on November 7, 2016 at age 82 after a prolific career as a highly influential musical legend and a gifted writer. Always dressed in a tidy, formal suit, Leonard Cohen gifted our world with his soulful lyrics, solemn bass voice, and insightful literature that continues to move hearts and give us a deeper perception on life, spirituality, and healing. In total, Mr.Cohen published 13 poetry collections, along with two novels, and he releases 14 studio albums.