That peripatetic guy - Bono - joined the Gateses as Times's Persons of the Year. He has gotten a heck of a lot done in his short 45 years.
Read about it here.
What struck me about Bono's life is that he has navigated some political and theological waters without whipping up an opposition. Who can be opposed to Bono? What follow are a few lessons I think we can glean from his example.
Keep the main thing, the main thing.
Bono has done this in two ways. He has continued to be a rock star. He never "gave up" music in service of doing a greater good. He used his muscial prowess to do good.
Additionally, when working to relieve African debt or getting medicines to AIDS victims, he stuck to those issues. He is interested in Africa and that's where his myriad creative energies are going.
He cares more about his project than being cool.
Some rock stars and actors have made it clear that they need to relate to their ilk in congress in order to achieve whatever goals they have. Bono doesn't care about his cool or what others believe. He has successfully engaged people from every side of every aisle - political, theological, geo-political... his gift is in understanding his audience and then singing his song in their language. He doesn't compromise his message or alter it. He simply finds out how the person he wants to act would best understand his message. And it's working.
He uses language to his advantage.
Bono is the master of the soundbite. He squeezes more insight and meaning into a few words that he then repeats for a year at a time, than most politicians can milk out of an hour long speech.
He keeps his mouth shut when he needs to.
It is difficult to pin Bono down on his Christian beliefs, his politics or his opinions on popular culture. This has to be either by intuition or design. A guy who can fly into Wheaton and speak to the student body during chapel about Africa and AIDS after having been written up in Rolling Stone for lap dances and passing out drunk in a bathroom because of a red wine allergy is a genius!
It's never too late to do something.
I like that as a forty-something myself, Bono reminds me that I can still do things that matter. It's not too late to do what I can in my world.
Bono has made eradicating poverty cool.
Wow! He is walking on 21st century water with that one.
Perhaps the biggest lesson I've learned from Bono is that my faith is nothing if it isn't interested in the well-being of others. My theology might be an interesting topic for online discussions, but it is largely irrelevant if it doesn't act.
Thanks Bono. We believe.
Julie
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