Dr Lutz van Dijk is a German-Dutch Author and is a founding member and Co-Director of HOKISA, a South African NGO which cares for children affected and/or infected by HIV/AIDS. He has received several literary awards, among them the Nambian Youth Literature Award and the German Gustav-Heinemann-Peace-Award.
My Definition Of Success | Success to me is happiness in the personal life of ordinary people around me… and to contributing in overcoming extreme poverty as the cause for so much desperation and violence in our world.
I Am Driven By | The unlimited love for children… these incredible creatures born with so much joy and generosity to share their joy of life with others.
I Love | When children smile and laugh… and when we could change conditions where people are no hungry anymore.
Good vs Great vs Bad | I do not believe that there are generally good or bad people. I think that each of us has the potential to be evil or good and it depends on our own will and determination which direction our life takes.
Advice and Wisdom To Share |
Listen deeply to yourself and find out what has made you happy and content beyond materialistic stuff:
Moments of friendship, of love, of caring honestly for another person, of understanding someone who might have been a stranger before or even very different from myself.
We all came naked to the world – and will leave it equally at the end.
Focus on becoming rich beyond money – in waking up every morning and looking forward to enjoy our world with others without doing harm to anybody. Allow yourself to be surprised how much your life will change, before you might change others’ lives.
Characteristics Of Success | A mixture of humor, stubbornness with kindness and patience to others.
Critical Skills I Have Developed | Learning languages as well as meeting and listening to people who are very different to myself.
Wise Words | Calmness is more important than any kind of noise.
I Am Still Learning To… | Forgive, but I learnt not to judge others easily… and to be strong in defending those who are less fortunate.
Aggression Is Not The Answer | I am so much against military warfare… but I must admit that there were situations in history where evil forces (like the Nazis in Germany) which needed to be fought with arms. Still, in my heart I am a pacifist and it pains me deeply to see how much wartime is an accepted and easy chosen mean to solve conflicts.
It Is important To Self-Reflect | I allow myself also times to be calm, relax and reflect on what I am doing. I also make mistakes and need to also critical about myself.
Resources I Use For Inspiration | I love reading novels, poems and short stories of young aspiring authors…
I Will Never | Never give up on my dreams of peace and kindness among the humans.
The Meaning Of Life Is | To be honest, kind and modest… and to enjoy every moment of life given to you freely.
Advice On Building Wealth | If this is all you want to achieve, I would seriously warn that you are on a way to become extremely stressed and unhappy.
How To Inspire Others | By listening to each other.
I Am Inspired By | I have one role model in my life (although I am not a religious person): Archbishop Desmond Mpilo Tutu… and many little heroes and heroines: Those kids who wake up and enjoy their life despite all trouble around them.
