Look Beyond

The Worst and Best of Humankind

A small crowd stands bewildered in the shadow of a massive uprooted tree beside a crushed dwelling. A barefoot young man runs for cover as the jungle around him spasms under the merciless assault of wind and rain. Fishing boats lie half-submerged like plastic toys crumpled by giant hands. Up to 100,000 men, women and children, reduced to decaying corpses, litter the landscape.

Men in clean and neatly pressed military uniforms confiscate a planeload of emergency aid from the tarmac. And a young girl responds to her government's request for a "yes" vote granting more authoritarian power to the ruling junta with a simple sign in her tiny hands that reads, "Hell no!"

Every so often the news of the day offers us a large-scale opportunity to observe the very best and the very worst of humanity. Both extremes often emerge from the same event. Such is the case with the devastation visited upon Myanmar last week.

The very worst of humanity has been demonstrated by a government that has repeatedly and deliberately, since the landfall of Cyclone Nargis, compounded misery upon misery for the sake of solidifying its despotic control over the people. CNN.com reported Tuesday that the latest in a series of post-storm atrocities involves allegations that the ruling junta is keeping the best foreign supplies for itself while doling out rotting food to the 2 million homeless storm victims.

If ever there were a sovereign government worthy of being overridden and displaced by the global community, it would be the current government of Myanmar.

The very best of humanity, on the other hand, can be found in the United Nations "flash appeal" to secure over $187 million in relief for the people of Myanmar. Humanity's best can be observed in the International Red Cross, which has already delivered 14 tons of building materials for the construction of emergency shelters. And the evil of Myanmar's rulers is being overshadowed by dozens of humanitarian organizations across America and around the world that are responding with urgency and generosity.

As you read this, please take a moment to consider how you may add your voice to the global chorus of kindness that is saying to a people ravaged by both nature and greed, "We are with you."

Learning Humanity From Dogs

Yesterday I ran across this post from a blog called, My Interesting Files.  As a dog lover, and one who believes that we humans tend to easily lose touch with our essential goodness, I found this post incredibly touching.

Enjoy, "Who Said Only Humans Know What Love Is."

Jim

I won't deny that there was a significant longing in me to stay home.  But my wife promised to help.  She went on ahead of me, and about an hour and a half later I grudgingly got into the truck, put in my favorite 80's rock CD and turned it up as loud as it would go to help take my mind out of the present to a distant time in the past when I still had many more years to craft into the life of my dreams, and drove to the park.

I quickly made friends with a large pine tree at the perimeter of the park and sat down.  A few minutes later I met the pile of dog crap next to me.  I didn't mind.  For the next hour I looked out across the sea of people throwing Frisbees, playing catch, and then at the dinner call flocking like vultures to the tables full of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, a multitude of side dishes, 2-liters of soda, and deserts.  The annual church picnic was in full swing.

After everyone had passed through the line, I grabbed a burger and a drink and returned to Mr. Tree and Mr. Poo.  Just as I finished, somebody caught my eye.  He was further away from the action than me, pacing back and forth, and then finally kneeling at the edge of the park watching the scene.  I couldn't take my eyes off of him.  He hadn't bathed in a while and his hair appeared to have lived through many mornings without a comb.  He was expressionless, but somehow, in a way that I can't really understand, I felt his heart.  And it hurt.  Eventually his eyes drifted my way and I waved.  No response...for a few minutes.  Then I noticed him stand, walk a ways, and stand off to my left, a few feet behind me.  I thought for a few minutes about all of the little girls running around the crowd and for a brief moment considered the worst of him.  But it quickly passed.  I stood.  And I walked toward him.

"You know, it looks like there's a lot of food left over there that's gonna be thrown away.  Ya hungry?"

"Uhh...naw."

"You sure?  I'd really hate to see us throw all of this food away if there's someone in the park who hasn't had dinner yet."

"Umm, I wouldn't feel right.  I'm not part of the church."

I stuck out my hand.  "I'm Bill."

"Jim."

"Nice to meet ya Jim.  Now we're friends.  Let's go get you some dinner."

"Man, okay...I guess you talked me into it."

We approached the table and I stopped the ladies who were already packing the food away.  "Hang on a sec.  My friend hasn't eaten yet."

I loaded his plate with a couple of hamburgers, squeezed out the last of the ketchup onto his bread, and tried to talk him into some of the vegetables and salads.

"Naw, this is great man.  I really appreciate this.  Thank you.  Where's your church located?"

"We meet at the corner of Midtown and Boxwood, across from where Memory Lane nightclub used to be.  We're there at 9:00 and 11:00.  My wife and I are there at 11:00.  Come and look for me and you can sit with us."

"I'd like that," he said with a gentle smile of gratitude far more convincing than I often see.

I had the best time at a church event that I've had in a long, long time.  And it was because I spent 10 minutes with Jim.

I hope to see him Sunday.

National Volunteer Week: April 27 - May 3

Through countless acts of kindness, volunteers across America are changing our Nation for the better. During National Volunteer Week, we recognize those who take the time to help their fellow citizens realize the full potential of America.        

Through volunteer work, Americans can demonstrate the kindness and generosity that makes our Nation great. Mentoring a child, teaching someone to read, visiting the elderly, feeding the hungry, and finding shelter for the homeless are all examples of how Americans can and do    aid those in need. Americans are volunteering in record numbers. Each year, millions of Americans volunteer, and more of our fellow citizens are discovering that the pursuit of happiness leads to the path of service. The cumulative effort of the love and compassion from our      Nation's volunteers will help secure a more hopeful future for all our citizens.    

My Administration remains committed to building a culture of service, citizenship, and responsibility. The USA Freedom Corps strengthens civic engagement and volunteer service in America and helps people connect with volunteer opportunities. By visiting the USA Freedom Corps website at volunteer.gov, individuals can find information about ways they can help in their local areas and across the country.    

The strength of America comes from its compassionate and loving citizens. National Volunteer Week is an opportunity to show appreciation for our Nation's volunteers. The time and energy they dedicate to      helping those in need reflect the true spirit of America.    

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 27 through May 3, 2008, as National Volunteer Week. I call upon all Americans to recognize and celebrate the important work that volunteers do every day throughout our country. I also encourage citizens to explore ways to help their neighbors in need and serve a cause greater than self.    

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and  thirty-second.    

 

GEORGE W. BUSH    

America's Second Harvest

Have you bought bread lately?  Because my wife does all of our grocery shopping, I have always been somewhat oblivious to the trends in food prices.   It's becoming difficult to remain in the bliss of ignorance as the unprecedented inflation in the food sector is now in the headlines almost daily.  Not only are food prices at an all-time high.  But in some places around the country stores are actually beginning to ration basic staples.  It seems unthinkable that food rationing is beginning to happen in the "Breadbasket of the World."

I make a pretty good income for a household of two, and we're feeling the pinch.  I can't imagine trying to balance a household budget when the income places that family near or below the poverty line.  But that's where organizations like America's Second Harvest come in.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday touring the Second Harvest Food bank here in Columbus, GA and learning about their organization.  I was shocked to learn that, through their food distribution program, they are attempting to meet the basic food needs of just over 1 million impoverished people in the counties that they serve.  In just the two counties where I live and work there are over 44,000 persons in poverty.  Of these, Second Harvest is able to provide supplemental food to about 3,800 families and 9,187 individuals each month.

They also operate a program called, "Kid's Cafe," which provides cooked meals to various sites around the city where children gather after school Monday through Thursday.  Each day about 470 children show up at the sites for a hot meal.  In 2007 approximately 94,000 meals were served. 

The economy isn't going to get better any time soon.  In fact, many are suggesting that the worst days of our food and fuel crisis are still ahead.  Food services such as Second Harvest, who meet the needs of so many people, are struggling as well with a decline in private contributions and the near disappearance of surplus contributions from food producers due to "on-time" manufacturing.

If you're looking for a way to "do good," please consider contributing to America's Second Harvest.

This afternoon I'll be spending a couple of hours visiting our local chapter of Girls, Inc.  I'll share my experience with you a post tomorrow.

Acts of Kindness Get Passed Around

By EVE OAKLEY
Georgetown News-Graphic
4/18/08
Published:  Friday, April 18, 2008 11:21 AM EDT

A few months ago, as I was driving home on a cold windy day, I suddenly realized that one of my tires was flat.

I had just gone through the traffic light on the corner of North Broadway and Indian Hills and quickly pulled over to the curb and stopped. I noticed that the car behind pulled over and stopped as well.

Before I could get out, the nice young man was out of his car and told me to not to get out because it was too cold and he was going to change my tire. I told him it was too cold for him as well, and I was going to phone my insurance company and have them send someone to change it. He insisted that it would not take long and he could have it done in a matter of minutes, which he did.

A nice city worker, whose name I did not get, also pulled over and was trying to direct traffic, which we thought would help. Were we ever wrong.

Now, I had two concerns; the cold weather and the heavy-speeding, after-work traffic. As usual, everyone was in a hurry and refused to slow down. I was praying that everything would be all right because I was concerned that one or both would get hit.

One of the two good Samaritans, who stopped to help, was Michael Ramsey, who changed my tire, and like I previously stated, I did not get the name of the city worker. When I offered to pay Michael for helping me, he would not accept it and stated that he was glad he was able to help. Even though it was a trivial deed to him, it was a major one to me. And, I will always remember that day and the kindness and help they extended to me.

At various times in our lives, I think we have all experienced being both givers and receivers, but I think the majority of us would rather be the givers than receivers because what we receive in return is far greater and more rewarding. We can feel the love and caring in our hearts.

A few months ago I had the privilege to being a giver and helping a family in need.

Through the efforts and generosity of many others, we were all able to provide this family with an abundance of food, clothing, and other things they could not afford to buy. We were also able to place them in an apartment because they had no place to live. The hearts of everyone I talked with were filled with love and compassion.

We were able to give them gifts and food for Christmas as well. Again, each person I talked to was willing to help. Jerry Richardson, whose heart is filled with great love and compassion for others, was the other major person who contributed greatly to their needs and got in touch with many others who helped with the needs of this family. Even though they were thankful and appreciative for everything we did, I know that we, as givers, received much more in return. And, as we know, doing for others can keep multiplying when we continue to pass our good deeds on.

As I have stated many times in my previous in my columns, the love, compassion, and kindness we have in our hearts for others can multiply. When we help and give to others, our good works will multiply and what we give, continues to grow.

I recently read a story that I thought was truly outstanding. It was about two young boys and how the one was giving to others.

They had been close friends for many years and one day as they were walking together, one of the boys began throwing coins over his shoulder. When his friend saw what he was doing, he asked him why he was throwing his money away. His friend explained that he was doing a psychology experiment, nicknamed, “The Good Samaritan Study.”

The researchers who were doing the study also randomly put change in various pay phones. It was a very interesting thing to do, and the results were gratifying. They observed that the people who found the money in the coin return were four times more likely to stop and help people in need then the people who found no money.

They concluded that when we feel good, we tend to do good, which also means that the helping impulse is transferable.

In other words, if you do something good for another person, he or she is much more likely to do something nice for someone else, causing one small gesture to result in a giant ripple effect.

Eve Oakley is a long-time contributor of columns to the News-Graphic.

Kindness of the Hated

I suppose there are times in the lives of some when a prayer for the silence of death to overcome the noise of anguish is a reasonable prayer.  It's easy to imagine this prayer being prayed frequently by the four men who sat day-after-day outside the city gates in the stench of their own decay begging passers-by to come near enough to drop a coin into what was left of their rotting hands.

I can imagine that the prayers for death uttered by these men came more frequently and with more intensity as famine consumed the citizens inside the gate with the same ferocity that leprosy consumed their own flesh.  Undoubtedly the frequency of dropped coins diminished to nothing.  After all, what responsible citizen wouldn't first satisfy his own hunger first before considering the plight of the despised untouchables sitting outside, forbidden from coming into contact with society?

One can only imagine what prompted the words of momentary hope.  "What are we doing sitting here at death's door? If we enter the famine-struck city we'll die; if we stay here we'll die. So let's take our chances in the village down the road and throw ourselves on their mercy. If they receive us we'll live, if they kill us we'll die. We've got nothing to lose."

After the sun went down they got up and went to the nearby village. When they got to the edge, surprise! There was not a person to be found.  Everyone had fled in anticipation of an invasion by a nearby kingdom.  Panicked, they ran for their lives through the darkness, abandoning homes, horses, donkeys—the whole village just as it was—running for dear life.

These four lepers entered the village and went into a home. First they ate and drank. Then they grabbed silver, gold, and clothing, and went off and hid it. They came back, entered another home, again finding and hiding their plunder.  Finally they said to one another, "We shouldn't be doing this! This is a day of good news and we're making it into a private party!  Come on! Let's go tell the news to the people of our own town that we may all share in what we have found."

____________________

May we who are healthy, comfortable and well fed never be outdone in our kindness by those who are sick, suffering, and despised.  Perhaps then, hatred itself will be swallowed up by the proliferation of goodness.

Meet The Umbrella Man

Beyond What You See is a blog with a very simple focus on two facets of life: being well and doing good.  I've begun the blog with this focus because I believe that these two expressions contain the sum total of what it means to be a human being living in the fullness of what we were created to be.

This post is about doing good.  And with this post I want to introduce you to a site listed in my blogroll called helpothers.org.  It is a community of people who are learning to live in a rhythm of doing good to those around them.  If you want to be the kind of person who changes the world around them through acts of goodness, but need some help getting started, this site will give you some wonderfully creative ideas.  I'll introduce them by sharing with you one of the stories from the site.  Allow me to introduce you the Umbrella Man.

--posted by liztree on Apr  6, 2008

I have a good friend, Tom, who keeps extra umbrellas in his car.  On rainy days he drives by bus stops and hands free umbrellas to anyone who needs one. 

Yesterday, a young man knocked on my door.  He was canvasing the neighborhood setting up appointments for free window replacement estimates.  He stood far from my door and spoke carefully.  I knew why.  Despite much progress, stereotypes are still very real.  I knew this young African-American man was not getting a whole lot of doors opened in my neighborhood.   I opened my door wide and we chatted for a few minutes.  He visibly relaxed.  Before he turned around to leave, I noticed it was about to rain.  I asked him if he would be okay in the rain.

He told me that he needed to finish out the block before he could return to his car which was parked several blocks away.  I thought of my friend Tom.  I asked the young man to wait.  I went to my hall closet, got an umbrella, and handed it to him.  His eyes went wide. For a few seconds he didn't say anything, then he asked 'Are you sure?".

"Absolutely", I said.

He was so grateful for the umbrella and I was so grateful for the opportunity to give.  (I wish I had remembered a smile card!)

Later that evening I was spending time Tom.  A Cyndi Lauper song was playing and I shared with him that I was praying for a miracle to by able to buy tickets to her concert.  (I know she is from the 80s, but I love her!).  Things have been a little (okay, a lot) tight financially and I couldn't justify the expense. 

I looked over at Tom and he had the strangest look on his face. Finally he said, "I was going to make it a surprise, but I can't keep it a secret any longer.  I ordered two tickets for you and Alex to go to the concert.  I did this because I know it will make you so happy and also because I know you will pay it forward."

By the time I told him the umbrella story we were both almost in tears.  If we hadn't been out in public, we would have been bawling. 

Next week, Tom and I will begin volunteering at center for single parents and the circle of giving will continue.

In the Name of Love and Religion

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction."
~Blaise Pascal

_______________

"Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."
~John

_______________

One man come in the name of love
One man come and go
One man come, he to justify
One man to overthrow

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

One man caught on a barbed wire fence
One man he resist
One man washed on an empty beach.
One man betrayed with a kiss

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love

Early morning, April 4
Shot rings out in the Memphis sky
Free at last, they took your life
They could not take your pride

In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love
In the name of love
What more in the name of love...
~U2

The Necessary Fragility of Paradigms

As you ponder and dream about the ways in which you desire to live your life - a life in which you become all you were created to become and make the world a better place by serving humanity - there will inevitably be those around you who won't get it.  The things you talk about, the ideas you have, the path you try to follow day-by-day will all bump against the paradigm through which they view the world.  Worry not, dear friend.  consider the following letter from Martin Van Buren to president Andrew Jackson.

January 31, 1829
Martin Van Buren
Governor of New York

To President Jackson:

The canal system of this country is being threatened by a new form of transportation known as "railroads."  The federal government must preserve the canals for the following reasons:

One.  If canal boats are supplanted by "railroads," serious unemployment will result.  Captains, cooks, drivers, hostelers, repairmen, and dock tenders will be left without means of livelihood, not to mention the numerous farmers now employed in growing hay for the horses.

Two.  Boat builders would suffer and towline, whip and harnass makers would be left destitute.

Three.  Canal boats are absolutely essential to the defense of the United States.  In the event of the expected trouble with England, the Erie Canal would be the only means by which we could ever move the supplies so vital to waging modern war.

As you may well know, Mr. President, "railroad" carriages are pulled at the enormous speed of fifteen miles per hour by "engines" which, in addition to endangering life and limb of passengers, roar and snort their way through the countryside, setting fire to crops, scaring livestock and frightening women and children.  The Almighty surely never intended that people should travel at such breakneck speed.