Influence
The Gift to Unify
Being a person of influence extends way beyond 15 minutes of fame. Influencers create communities — their ideas and innovations coalesce followers and rally responses. Influencers are culture carriers, transmitters, and shapers who resonate globally. Their collective voices cast our history. That is why I eagerly await and appreciate Time Magazines 2021 list of100 Most Influential People.
I am always eager to dive in and see what the pool of profiles reveals. The categories-- icons, pioneers, titans, artist, leaders and innovators and their sway/scope —cross boundaries, technology, genres and archetypes. Influencers are multidimensional culture carriers: transmitters and trailblazers. Their photographs are evocative-- a splendid display— a glimpse of their soul; their charisma seeps through to us.
Some are familiar while others not; some are peaceful while others bellicose, no surprise that the list includes Donald Trump, Tucker Carlson, and Taliban Leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Barada. There is no denying that they have gravitas. And, yes, it is important to recognize them, but it is always up to us who we celebrate. My focus is elsewhere.
My attention is drawn to the great “unifier” on the list—no, not Joe Biden—Dolly Parton. The New Republic reports:
Musicians attract specific fan bases…. But rarely does an artist ever attract a fan base so diverse it defies categorization. Unless you’re Dolly Parton.
Parton is also touted as a hero by the transgender community, and she’s seen as the original third-wave feminist by today’s young feminists. Her longevity goes beyond her crossover appeal – she is timeless. She is an outsider and it is that “woke” quality experience that is the source of her superpower— the fourth of 12 kids, raised in a one room house, Appalachia dirt poor. She admits that “I was born with the gift of understanding… and I have common sense”
We are inspired by her talent, grit, and business savvy.
Influence is a relationship between the individual and their followers-- the people they touch, inspire and impact. Dolly brings us together: drag queens, bikers, and housewives and more become are united at her concerts. A community of 4.4M follow her on social media, even more visit Dollywood, and an 11 times Grammy winner and actress – she holds sway over the most diverse audience in her industry
Dolly quietly donated 1M to COVID research at Vanderbilt University of Medicine her contribution accelerated the development of the Moderna Vaccine. Without fanfare her Imagination Library Foundation provides free books to almost 850,000 children each month. I applaud her unique combination authenticity an audaciousness:
“I’m just a backwoods Barbie in a push-up bra and heels/ I might look artificial but where it counts, I’m real.”
TIME MAGAZINE 100
Each of the 100 influencers is “real” and the reality they bring melds our social fabric and becomes the connective tissue of our culture.
I hope that the list of 100 make you feel as hopeful about our world and our future as I do. Their collective wisdom has the possibility to unify.