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loaded it with 28 tons of presents,
medica! supplies and messages for
American prisoners ofwar
in
Vietnam,
in an attempt to help call attention to
their plight. He was unable to deliver
the supplies since he was refused
entry by the comm:unists, but the
whole world became more aware of
the prisoner-of-war issue.
Perot intends to use bis fortune to
help solve the nation's problems be–
cause he is deeply distressed by the
immorality in the Western world.
"We've already hit bottom," he ex–
plained. "Nowadays, you can see
everything in the movies."
Perot the Man
Just what kind of roan is H. Ross
Perot? To answer this question, a
look at
bis
childhood helps.
Perot attributes much ofhis success
to
bis parents: "My parents made great
sacrifices to see that my sister and 1
had various opportunities. 1 would
never do anything to disappoint my
Dad, even today. He loved me and
gave me a lot ofhis time." Perot carne
from a stable borne, filled witb love.
He considers the influence ofhis par–
ents paramount in tbe formation of
bis character.
Also of great importance was reli–
gious training. As young Perot grew
up, he memorized a Bible scripture
every day for school. "We had to
leam one Bible verse every morn–
ing. Typically, we would learn it the
nigbt before and polish it up on the
way to school," he recalls. From the
Bible, Perot learned basic principies
of right living, morality, and fair
play. He learned success is not mea–
sured by money alone but by one's
attitude of service toward others
throughout life. His family life was
full. A close bond existed between
family members and belped provide
high moral standards.
Ross Perot lived in modest cir–
cumstances as a youth. Yet he never
felt poor, never envied the wealthy.
Because of his own upbringing,
Ross Perot considers bis family the
number one responsibility of bis
life. His is a closely knit family. Says
Perot, "The family is tbe key to our
12
society." He believes it deserves first
place and comes before business or
any other consideration.
The kind of roan H. Ross Perot is
can be seen in bis life-style. He is
still close to the roots of the land.
Although he lives m a spacious,
comfortable borne and has a borne
gymnasium, Perot does not flaunt
bis wealth. His borne is surrounded
by severa! acres, and he keeps
borses for bis children to ride, pro–
viding them opportunities to experi–
ence the environment of nature.
A Successful Life
The story of Perot demonstrates
that hard work, perseverance, and
ls the acquisition of fortune or
fame equivalent to real suc–
cess? ls it wrong to be rich?
the courage to take advantage of
opportunities can lead to rewards
and fulfillment in life.
An insight into Perot's courage is
given by a motto inscribed on a
plaque outside his office at the EDS
Center in Dallas: "Every good and
excellent thing stands moment by
moment on the razor's edge of dan–
ger and must be fought for."
Perot believes that any th ing
worth having
is
worth working or
fighting for. This would include
one's family, one's country, or sorne
great enterprise.
Success, in the eyes of Ross Perot,
is
measured by what one does with
one's abilities and opportunities
to serve and enrich the lives of
others.
Perot believes it is possible for a
hard-working, resourceful roan of
cbaracter to achieve material suc–
cess in life. But it is not easy. When
asked what he felt is the major dif–
ference between success and failure,
he replied: "Most people give up
just when they're about to achieve
success. They quit on the one yard
line. They give up at the last minute
of the game, one foot from a win–
ning touchdown. No matter how
bad it looks, don't get discouraged
and give up."
This basic ingredient for success
- perseverance - is also stressed in
our booklet
The Seven Laws of Suc–
cess,
available free to our readers.
This booklet describes in detail tbe
way to true success.
Wealth Alone Not
Success
The philosophy of H. Ross Perot
about success and wealth was ex–
pressed in similar terms by King
Solomon.
Solomon knew his great wealth
was a gift from God (11 Chronicles
l : ll-12). He himself did not origi–
nally seek wealth. He wanted wis–
dom and knew that material success
wasn't true success: ''Tbe roan who
loves money can never have
enough, and the roan wbo is in love
with great wealth enjoys no return
from it. This too is emptiness. When
riches multiply, so do those who live
off them .. ." (Ecclesiastes 5:10-1 1,
The New English Bible).
Solomon was concerned about
people. He put first the need to
wisely govern bis nation before ac–
quiring personal wealth. He saw
tbat sorne roen hoarded wealth -
and eventually lost it all (verses 13-
15).
This ancient king knew that al–
though life could be full of bless–
ings, times can and do change.
Difficulties, unexpected pitfalls, and
adversity may suddenly occur. No
one knows precisely what tomorrow
wíll bring. Wrote Solomon, "Enjoy
prosperity whenever you can, and
when bard times strike, realize that
God gives one as well as the other -
so that everyone will realize that
notbing is certain in this life" (Eccle–
siastes 7:14,
The Living Bible).
What's Your Attitude
Toward Riches?
Solomon knew that property
is
sometbing to be enjoyed and wisely
used, because riches do not last for–
ever. Unfortunately, sorne people
think that all rich roen are
"crooked." They believe it is wrong
PLAIN TRUTH March 1974