Love

Who do you think is the most beloved person in the world - dead or alive? Please share their name in the comments with your name. I'll tell you the answer by the end of the week.

Updated October 22
I'm sorry it took longer than a week for me to get back to this post.  I've been busy.  In the weeks that passed though, I've seen more evidence to prove who is most loved across the world.  Before I reveal who it is, I just want to remind you that I've been in countries where Christianity is the minority.  My recent travels have taken me to places where the majority of the populations are Buddhist (Thailand), Muslim (Malaysia, Indonesia), Hindu (India), and religiously diverse and accepting (Singapore).  Even before my current journey, I saw signs of the world's love and admiration for this person across religions, languages, economies, generations, and hemispheres for years, but I just recognized the pattern recently.  Who is this person that the world admires so much?  It's not Michael Jackson or Beyoncé.  It's not Barack Obama, Che Guevara, or Tupac, although I've seen their images sporadically.

The most universally loved person is...



Bob Marley

His name and image is (unlicensed) everywhere. I've seen his influence around the globe, including bumper stickers on tuk tuks, clothes, messenger bags, hats, towels, reggae bars and clubs, rugs, posters, jewelry, and more. Even in the most random places where you think people have no idea about Marley, I've heard his music playing in cars and restaurants. People sometimes ask me if I'm Jamaican, or if they don't know English, they point to my hair and say, "Bob Marley", because I wear locs. Bob Marley put the tiny country of Jamaica on the map with his roots music and its universal appeal. He shared a message that still impacts the world regardless of boundaries. His message was simply, Love.

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