Below is an Autogenerated Transcript

Hello, my name is Ron Kaufman. I’m not here today to tell you anything about my ideas or my projects in the world but rather to tell you about a remarkable man who recently passed from this earth named Tony Buzan. Tony said “it’s been my life goal, work to contribute to the ability to learn how to learn”. He called it mental literacy. How our human mind learns and now each and every one of us can cultivate, develop and harness this tremendous capability. 

Tony was born in London. He moved to Canada as a child. He studied psychology, English and Mathematics at University and he noticed something. He was very smart. But the other students who did very very well in their courses and exams all had the messiest notes. They had the most untidy notes that they kept from class lectures and discussions. They were just filled with doodles and pictures and underline arrows and some of them even had colours. And he thought to himself you know maybe something’s going on here. Well, that’s something Tony created called mind maps and the activity of mind mapping. A  creative and colourful and free-associating way for humans to imagine, think, record, connect and awaken the genius that Tony Buzan saw in the centre of all of us. During his lifetime Tony shared this with schools and educational systems with organizations, companies and with governments and audiences all over the world. He loved to teach. He loved language and the power of the written word every bit as much as he loved the power of his colourful mind maps.

He was editor of the Journal of Mensa, the super-high QE Society. And he published books. Oh man did he write books! More than 80 published titles with translation into over 40 languages all over the world. My wife and I first met Tony in Dubai a few years ago and you know in his classic generosity, the picture that I have of us when we first met, was not of him holding one of his 80 books. But  I mean here’s Tony wanting to pose while holding one of my books. What a guy! What a generous, giving, loving and truly caring spirit. 

Now I met Tony because of the efforts of this man, Gautham Ganglani who for years with his father Ram has organized public events all over the world, bringing Tony Buzan to audiences who loved his techniques and his style and who loved him. Gautham even organized a gathering of gurus one year with Marshall Goldsmith and me- the little guy and Jack Canfield and you know there he is, the thinker Tony Buzan, all with Gautham Ganglani. For some adventures and dinners and public events, we had to teach to share, to encourage and to always be empowering other people.

Now Tony! You always loved the power of the human mind. And you made your life about sharing that awakening and appreciating that power in everyone. But you left this world so much better than when you came in because you did that thinking in a playful, colourful, caring and sharing way. You left the world not just a little bit better, You made this world so much better for so many of us because you were here and you made a beautiful contribution. So rest in peace Tony Buzan. We remember you, we appreciate you and we love you.