We wonder and look at each other and ask, "What can we do? How do we get our country back?"
Eldridge Cleaver once said. "There is no neutrality in the world. You either have to be part of the solution, or you're part of the problem."
Ask yourself, "Am I part of the problem?"
Am I registered to vote?
Did I vote in the last election?
Do I use nasty, snarky, crude language on social media?
Do I think anyone who doesn't agree with me is an idiot?
Do I listen?
Have I examined my own prejudices and biases?
Am I a gun owner who still believes I have a right to own military-grade weaponry?
Am I a gun owner who favors sensible gun registration and restrictions on people who are high risk?
Am I still complacent (or scared) and don't know what to do?
Have I written or phoned my representatives or to others who favor or disagree with my viewpoint?
Have I donated to causes I believe in?
Am I part of the solution or part of the problem?
One small thing we do can make a difference:
See something, say something.
One small thing that grew to a big thing: Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, started the group after Sandy Hook (remember those children?). The group has grown to chapters in all 50 states. One person.
Read former President Barack Obama's August 5 Twitter response to the El Paso and Dayton shootings reminding us again of our nation's values of tolerance and diversity.
Read the August issue of O magazine. It is full of stories of kind acts of strangers. Take a moment and think of one act of kindness that someone did to you. What have you done to pay it forward?
One small thing.
This week I watched the kindness of people in El Paso and Dayton, which reminded me of the people who spontaneously volunteered during and after Katrina, the Houston hurricane, the forest fires in the West, and other major disasters. I marvel again at the courage of our first responders who put themselves in harm's way by going towards instead of away.
This week I've noticed small and large acts of kindness, agreement, and interaction by people around me. They all feel driven by events and want to do something.
One small thing.
One small thing: if we do it together, small things will grow. Kindness matters.
Very timely thoughts. My granddaughter is currently a student at an independent on-line high school, mostly due to a move mid-school year. She would like to go to regular high school where she now lives so that she could be with young people her age but she is fearful because the school of her choice has already had one shooting incident.
ReplyDeleteI’m sorry to hear about your granddaughter. We need to do more so that kids no longer have that kind of fear about school
DeleteYes. One small thing can ignite the world!!! Thank you for this post.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome Chandra. We all need to think about what we do to contribute to the national problems
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