Jose Mujica

Jose Mujica is the ex president of Uruguay and a man you can look up to.

He was born on the 20th of May 1935 to a poor family on a small farm run by his father who went bankrupt shortly before his death in 1940. Between the ages 13-17 Jose rode in seven different cycling clubs, he was also quite active with the national party, in the mid 1960s he joined the newly formed MLN-Tupamaros movement, an armed political revolution and was part of attacks on a city called Pando, after wich he resisted arrest at a bar, injured two police men and was shot six times, he was sent to a hospital and then to jail for fourteen years.

In 2010 he became the president of Uruguay and while in office, he never let the power of his authority change him, he remained true to his humble beginnings and governed with his integrity and ideals intact. He feels safe among his people and can walk the streets alone.

 Here are some of the things that make him awesome.
He donated ninety percent of his salary to charity- this alone makes him awesome! He lived on a small farm with only two police officers and his small dog to protect him, he drives a 1987 blue beetle and he picks up hitchhikers, he legalized gay marriage and he legalized marijuana , he is in no way like any other politician and, all that after being shot six times and spending fourteen years in jail.

He is definitely one of the 100 awesome men of this list. 

The 100 Awesome Men Project

So what makes an awesome man?
It is different for everyone and impossible to give a full definition but my list includes
honesty, accountability, integrity and responsibility, honor, respect for all people and animals and our planet, being open minded to new things and change, caring for themselves and for others.

To start things off I have met some truly awesome men,
they are fun and playful, they have integrity, they are intelligent deep thinking and creative. They are all about respect and love and all in my favorite band, the night I met them in Byron Bay was a fantastic night and made me even more of a fan.

Nahko Bear
Chase Makai
Dustin Thomas
 from the incredible social movement and band
Medicine for the People.

“Through the years we’ve been fine tuning the purpose behind what we’re doing,” Nahko says. “The oral tradition of storytelling is so important for our generation to bring with us. Part of what we try to convey is accountability and empowerment. These songs direct us to look at ourselves, whether it’s about a social issue, environmental or a personal issue. They embrace Bob Marley’s idea of world-bridging, bringing people together to resolve differences. For us, music is a tool to create healing and activate people to change things….I think our music promotes the bridging of all tribes. The lyrics and the stories and our energy as a group break down people’s walls. You’ll find us in the most unique places on earth because it’s real, raw, and honest storytelling about what we’ve been through and what we believe in. And that’s why people connect with it. I think that’s the most important thing you can do with music.” – Bear

Other musical men I admire include
Xavier Rudd, Michael Franti , John Butler, Max Ribner and Trevor Hall.
Music is a really good method of conveying a message because its fun and gets your head and it also forms a kind of community or tribe as Nahko calls it. 

Here are my first 8 inspirational men, I am looking for 100 great male role models from today or in the past do you have any suggestions?