Beauty is in the Human Connection, says Leon Logothetis

Leon Logothetis is the host of the travel TV program, The Amazing Adventures of A Nobody, in which he travels the world on the equivalent of $5 per day. He’s also the author of the new book The Kindness Diaries, which compiles inspirational anecdotes from his many journeys. Logothetis shares one of these stories in today’s featured Big Think interview:

If you’re unable to see the video above, Logothetis recounts meeting a fellow named Tony in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:

“I had nowhere to stay. I’d asked lots of people to help me and they said no which is fine. I mean I had no expectations for people to help. I spoke to Tony. I said, ‘Can I stay with you?’ And he looked at me and he said, ‘I’m homeless. I’m sorry but I’m homeless.’ And I felt a lot of shame. But then he said to me, ‘You know what? If you want to come and stay with me I’ll protect you. I’ll feed you. I’ll give you some blankets and that’ll be all good.’ And I was in just total shock and I said to him, ‘Are you being serious?’ He’s like, ‘Absolutely.’ So I spent the night on the streets of Pittsburgh with one of the kindest men I’d ever met.”

Logothetis says meeting Tony changed his life and shifted his perspective on wealth. Here was a man who had nothing but was willing to give everything:

“He opened up my heart and he made me realize it’s about human connection. That’s where the true beauty of life is – human connection. Not necessarily what we have in our wallets. You can be the richest man in the world and still be the poorest man in the world. You can be the poorest man in the world and be the richest man in the world.”

With so much of the world’s concern placed at the feet of fiscal matters, it’s refreshing to engage with a message that defies money when defining wealth. Logothetis’ television program is all about making the most of his travel experience on a shoestring budget. His experience meeting Tony taught him to make the most out off his life experience no matter what he has in his wallet.

Learn more about Leon and his travels at http://www.leonlogothetis.com