The Project: “The Bok Project”
The Status: Planning
The Story:
Years ago, a poor Dutch immigrant boy was washing the windows of a bakery shop after school for fifty cents a week. His people were so poor that he used to go out in the street with a basket every day and collect stray bits of coal that had fallen in the gutter where the coal wagons had delivered fuel. That boy, Edward Bok, never received more than six years of schooling in his life; yet, eventually, he became one of the most successful magazine editors in the history of American journalism. How did he do it? That is a long story, but his start can be briefly recounted. He got his start by using the principles advocated in this chapter.
He left school when he was thirteen and became an office boy for the Western Union at six dollars and twenty-five cents a week, but he didn't for one moment give up the idea of education. Instead, he started to educate himself. He saved his carfare and went without lunch until he had enough money to buy an encyclopedia of American biography—and then he did an unheard-of thing. He read about the lives of famous men and wrote to them asking for additional information about their childhoods. He was a good listener. He encouraged famous people to share their stories. He wrote to General James A. Garfield, who was then running for President, and asked if it was true that he had once been a tow boy on a canal; and Garfield replied. He wrote to General Grant, asking about a particular battle, and Grant drew a map for him. He then invited the fourteen-year-old boy to dinner and spent the evening talking to him.
He wrote to Emerson and encouraged Emerson to talk about himself. As a result, this Western Union messenger boy was soon corresponding with many of the most famous people in the nation: Emerson, Phillips Brooks, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Longfellow, Mrs. Abraham Lincoln, Louisa May Alcott, General Sherman, and Jefferson Davis.
He not only corresponded with these distinguished people, but as soon as he got a vacation, he visited many of them as a welcome guest in their homes. This experience instilled in him an invaluable confidence. Moreover, these men and women fired him with a vision and ambition that revolutionized his life.
The Concept:
That was an excerpt from one of my favorite books, “How to Win Friends and Influence People” By Dale Carnegie. This book was an inspiration to me, and I immediately started to use many of the tactics mentioned in it. This particular story has always stuck with me, however, as a valuable lesson. Young Edward Bok, a poor Dutch immigrant, dared to connect with some of the most influential people of his time. A little boy who, by his teenage years, was making house calls to those famous people.
This story made me realize something. As a society, we place certain people on a pedestal. There’s no way this celebrity would ever talk to me. I’m nowhere close to being on the same level as they are. I realized it was all an illusion. I was holding myself back. As long as I’m respectful and sincere in my goal, I believe it’s entirely possible to become friends with just about anyone.
And so this show will document my journey as I attempt to make friends with those celebrities who inspire me. I am to prove that no one is beyond your reach. If you set your mind to it and approach it in a respectful and kind manner, you can accomplish anything. This is the Bok Project.
What does the project need?
Funding: Along with every other Majestic Media Project, funding from you is the primary resource that gives us the freedom to create.
Celebrities: But this one is for me to figure out how I’ll do it.
Curator Benefits:
I’m not entirely sure how curators would benefit from my personal journey. It’s not like if I’m able to make friends with someone, you’ll automatically become their friend too. I don’t quite think it works that way. But I’ll tell you what. If I were to make a famous friend, and you happen to have a question you’d like to ask, perhaps I could set up an interview in which I ask all of your questions.