The Michael Jordan story
❤️Michael Jordan, black, was born in 1963, in the slums of Brooklyn, New York. He had four siblings, while his father's meager salary was not enough to support the family. Since childhood, he spent his life in an environment of poverty and full of discrimination, so that he could not see any hope for the future.
When he was thirteen years old, his father gave him a piece of used clothing, “How much do you think this clothing is worth?” Jordan replied, “Maybe 1 dollar.” His father said again, “Can it be sold for 2 dollars? If you succeed in selling it, it means you have helped your father and mother." Jordan nodded his head, “I will try, but it may not work.”
Carefully wash the clothes until they are clean. Because there was no iron to smooth clothes, he flattened the clothes with a brush on a flat board, then hung them in the sun until dry. The next day, he took the clothes to a busy underground station, where they spent more than six hours. Finally Jordan managed to sell the clothes. Now he was holding a 2 dollar bill and he ran home.
After that, every day he looked for used clothes, then tidied them up again and sold them to the crowd.
More than ten days later, his father again handed him a piece of used clothing, "Try to think about how to sell this clothing for 20 dollars?" Jordan said, “How is that possible? The highest value for these clothes is only 2 dollars.” His father again gave him inspiration, "Why don't you try it first? There must be a way."
Finally, Jordan got an idea, he asked for help from his cousin who studied painting to depict cute Donald Duck and naughty Mickey Mouse on the clothes. Then he tried to sell it at a school for rich children. Not long after, a housekeeper who picked up his little master bought the clothes for his little master. The ten-year-old little master liked the clothes so much that he left a 5 dollar tip. Of course 25 dollars is a large amount for Jordan, equivalent to one month's salary from his father.
When he arrived home, his father again gave him a piece of used clothing, "Are you able to sell it for 200 dollars?" His father's eyes seemed to sparkle.
This time, Jordan accepted the clothes without the slightest hesitation. Two months later, coincidentally, the popular film actress "Charlie's Angels", Farah Fawcett, came to New York to do a promo. After the press conference, Jordan broke through security to reach Farah Fawcett's side and asked for her autograph on her used clothes. When Fawcett saw an innocent child asking for his autograph, he happily put his signature on the clothes.
Jordan shouted very happily, "This is a T-shirt that has been signed by Miss Farah Fawcett, the selling price is 200 dollars!" He auctioned the clothes, until a businessman bought them for 1,200 dollars.
Upon returning home, his father, with tears in his eyes, said, "It's unimaginable that you managed to do it. My child! You are truly great!”
That night, Jordan slept with his father, foot to foot. His father asked, "My son, from the experience of selling three pieces of clothing that you have done, what have you managed to understand?"
Jordan answered with emotion, "As long as we want to think with our brains, there must be a way."
His father nodded his head, then shook his head, “What you said is not wrong! But that's not what Dad meant. Dad just wanted to tell you that a piece of used clothing worth one dollar can also be increased in value, let alone us as living humans? Maybe we are darker skinned and poorer, but what difference does it make? It depends on how we utilize that potential
Kisah Michael Jordan
❤️Michael Jordan, berkulit hitam, lahir pada tahun 1963, di daerah kumuh Brooklyn, New York. Ia memiliki empat orang saudara, sementara upah ayahnya yang hanya sedikit tidak cukup untuk menafkahi keluarga. Semenjak kecil, ia melewati kehidupannya dalam lingkungan miskin dan penuh diskriminasi, hingga ia sama sekali tidak bisa melihat harapan masa depannya.
Ketika ia berusia tiga belas tahun, ayahnya memberikan sehelai pakaian bekas kepadanya, “Menurutmu, berapa nilai pakaian ini?” Jordan menjawab, “Mungkin 1 dollar.” Ayahnya kembali berkata, “Bisakah dijual seharga 2 dollar? Jika engkau berhasil menjualnya, berarti telah membantu ayah dan ibumu.” Jordan menganggukkan kepalanya, “Saya akan mencobanya, tapi belum tentu bisa berhasil.”
Dengan hati-hati dicucinya pakaian itu hingga bersih. Karena tidak ada setrika untuk melicinkan pakaian, maka ia meratakan pakaian dengan sikat di atas papan datar, kemudian dijemur sampai kering. Keesokan harinya, dibawanya pakaian itu ke stasiun bawah tanah yang ramai, ditawarkannya hingga lebih dari enam jam. Akhirnya Jordan berhasil menjual pakaian itu. Kini ia memegang lembaran uang 2 dollar dan berlarilah ia pulang.
Setelah itu, setiap hari ia mencari pakaian bekas, lalu dirapikan kembali dan dijualnya di keramaian.
Lebih dari sepuluh hari kemudian, ayahnya kembali menyerahkan sepotong pakaian bekas kepadanya, “Coba engkau pikirkan bagaimana caranya untuk menjual pakaian ini hingga seharga 20 dolar?” Kata Jordan, “Bagaimana mungkin? Pakaian ini paling tinggi nilainya hanya 2 dollar.” Ayahnya kembali memberikan inspirasi, “Mengapa engkau tidak mencobanya dulu? Pasti ada jalan.”
Akhirnya, Jordan mendapatkan satu ide, ia meminta bantuan sepupunya yang belajar melukis untuk menggambarkan Donal Bebek yang lucu dan Mickey Mouse yang nakal pada pakaian itu. Lalu ia berusaha menjualnya di sebuah sekolah anak orang kaya. Tak lama kemudian seorang pengurus rumah tangga yang menjemput tuan kecilnya, membeli pakaian itu untuk tuan kecilnya. Tuan kecil itu yang berusia sepuluh tahun sangat menyukai pakaian itu, sehingga ia memberikan tip 5 dolar. Tentu saja 25 dollar adalah jumlah yang besar bagi Jordan, setara dengan satu bulan gaji dari ayahnya.
Setibanya di rumah, ayahnya kembali memberikan selembar pakaian bekas kepadanya, “Apakah engkau mampu menjualnya kembali dengan harga 200 dolar?” Mata ayahnya tampak berbinar.
Kali ini, Jordan menerima pakaian itu tanpa keraguan sedikit pun. Dua bulan kemudian kebetulan aktris film populer “Charlie Angels”, Farah Fawcett datang ke New York melakukan promo. Setelah konferensi pers, Jordan pun menerobos pihak keamanan untuk mencapai sisi Farah Fawcett dan meminta tanda tangannya di pakaian bekasnya. Ketika Fawcett melihat seorang anak yang polos meminta tanda tangannya, ia dengan senang hati membubuhkan tanda tangannya pada pakaian itu.
Jordan pun berteriak dengan sangat gembira, “Ini adalah sehelai baju kaus yang telah ditandatangani oleh Miss Farah Fawcett, harga jualnya 200 dollar!” Ia pun melelang pakaian itu, hingga seorang pengusaha membelinya dengan harga 1.200 dollar.
Sekembalinya ke rumah, ayahnya dengan meneteskan air mata haru berkata, “Tidak terbayangkan kalau engkau berhasil melakukannya. Anakku! Engkau sungguh hebat!”
Malam itu, Jordan tidur bersama ayahnya dengan kaki bertemu kaki. Ayahnya bertanya, “Anakku, dari pengalaman menjual tiga helai pakaian yang sudah kau lakukan, apakah yang berhasil engkau pahami?”
Jordan menjawab dengan rasa haru, “Selama kita mau berpikir dengan otak, pasti ada caranya.”
Ayahnya menganggukkan kepala, kemudian menggelengkan kepala, “Yang engkau katakan tidak salah! Tapi bukan itu maksud ayah. Ayah hanya ingin memberitahumu bahwa sehelai pakaian bekas yang bernilai satu dolar juga bisa ditingkatkan nilainya, apalagi kita sebagai manusia yang hidup? Mungkin kita berkulit lebih gelap dan lebih miskin, tapi apa bedanya? Tergantung bagaimana kita mendayagunakan potensi yang
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