This month, I started reading Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I've been wanting to read his book since his suicide a few months ago. Only in the past few years, did I realize his genuine appreciation for the world around him and his ability to observe without judgment. Between his first and last works, there's a sincerity under the outrageousness that very few people can emulate. Through his anecdotes, I'm able to hear his voice and his humor, and I'm certain many other fans feel the same. It's a shame I didn't appreciate his work until now. So why am I ruminating about it?

Recently, I was consumed by another book in a completely separate discipline; Factfulness by Hans Rosling. Hans Rosling is a renowned public health scientist whose final book aimed to highlight how much better the world is than we think. Though much of his book is data driven, there are several personal stories strategically placed to highlight the misperceptions people have of the world.

Rosling's work highlights the biases that many of us in "developed" countries have. Many of us are under the impression that if other people don’t live in countries like the US or the UK or Sweden, we're living in some primitive undeveloped world. But, like everything else in the human experience, development exists on a spectrum. Despite what we're lead to believe, many countries are slowly implementing benefits to their society. Who knew something as simple as being able to access clean water easily can impact the ability to get or finish a solid education. Simply buying a cheap stove can improve a family's food quality and health.

On his website, Gapminder.org, Rosling lays the foundation this spectrum of wealth. The wealth of countries spans from Level 1 to Level 4. Level 1 includes countries whose citizens only live with$1 a day, while Level 4 has people who live with $100 a day. Connected to his website is another project, DollarStreet.org where people volunteer access into their homes to demonstrate how they live. Without direct exposure or tools like this, how you able to get access to that perspective?

At first glance, Bourdain's culinary explorations and Rosling's public health research couldn't possibly overlap. Despite this, both their works revolve around the same theme: the human experience. Rosling's work showed that the world is getting better. That despite the challenges that each country faces, people are still inspired to be enterprising and courageous. The cycle of poverty is a difficult one to break. Sometimes, as Rosling's own stories showed, we make poor decisions because of our fear or overconfidence. Despite that, people still choose to live the best way they can.

Bourdain's work, like in Parts Unknown, captured these authentic perspectives. He found people whose lives mirror those on Dollar Street or those who are finding happiness and growth, in spite of their living situations. His work complements the story that Rosling's data tells us, that the human spirit continues to move despite and in spite of everything. Bourdain's gift, however, is not in telling the story himself, but allowing these people to tell their own stories.

On Sunday, Bourdain's final season premiere showed. He took W. Kamau Bell to Kenya and exposed him to the dynamic and colorful lives of the people there. With each person, he only asked questions to create more depth or context for viewers. Each perspective shares was uniq.

It's crazy to believe that these people from different disciplines would have work that would overlap. Consuming each person's work reinforced how connected our experiences are. As I watched the Parts Unknown premiere, I was constantly awed by the human spirit and how beautiful it becomes when faced with difficult. As I watched different women talk about their enterprises or motivations to educate children around them, I was reminded to check my biases, as learned from Rosling's book.

Both these men are dead now. Through their works, I'm pleasantly reminded by the uniqueness of people. No matter how disconnected we seem, there's always going to be something that connects us to each other. Bourdain and Rosling have seen or experienced the worst of the world, and could have chosen to be cynical. Instead, these chose hope. They chose optimism. It seems silly, but I do believe there's magic in the world. The awe I feel just seeing people tell stories of creativity and endurance, and compassion is just one of them.

The premiere closed with a finale narration from Bourdain. As much as I respect the man, I respectfully disagree. While he spent much of his career telling his story, he somehow found ways to give others a chance to share theirs.

Who gets to tell the stories? This is a question asked often. The answer, in this case, for better or for worse, is I do. At least this time out. I do my best. I look; I listen. But in the end ― I know ― it’s my story. Not Kamau’s. Not Kenya’s or Kenyans.’ Those stories are yet to be heard.