Tuesday; March 16

One of the challenges I face trying to be a good person is coming to grips with the struggles other people have had. While I am mindful of the challenges some people face today, it is easy to get carried away with historic issues of how people have been mistreated. As I think back on the last few centuries we have seen Jews annihilated in Germany, African slaves brought to Europe and the Americas, Native Americans captured and killed as well as regional minorities tortured and killed at the hands of rulers in power. This is not an American-thing, this is a people thing! Now, this brings us back to the challenge – I didn’t participate in these atrocities nor do I don’t condone what has happened, so what can I do other than feel bad about them?

As I thought about what I can do to come to grips with these tragedies two things came to find. First, I can treat people with love and respect. No, I cannot make others “play nice”, but I can control my approach to dealing with others, especially those who have been traditionally mistreated. When I cultivate a respect for all mankind, I will be the type of person who will stand up what is right and stand beside those who need help. Secondly, I can vow to be better than my ancestors. No, I cannot go back and change what my grandparents or great-grandparents did or the way they thought, but I can learn from the mistakes they made and lessons we have learned from them.

We have two options: we can point fingers and condemn one another or we can join hands in support of each other. Throughout history we have seen that finger-pointing doesn’t accomplish nearly as much good as a unity can heal a lot of hurts.

Think About It!

Popular posts from this blog

Tuesday; November 29

The biblical story of the Good Samaritan has changed our world. Notice I didn’t say that it had change religion or even Christianity, it has influenced the world. There are very few people who don’t know the moral of Jesus’ parable about the Good Samaritan. In fact, the phrase has become a common description of everyday people doing good to their neighbors. While Jesus’ parable from Luke 10 shares several spiritual lessons, one of the most practical is that good can be done by anyone. You don’t have to be a church official to do good, it is not only possible for each one of us to help, it is required of all of us. If a Samaritan can be good, so can we! After presenting the parable, Jesus asked the man who had originally asked the question about being a good neighbor which character in the story was a good neighbor, “… he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’” at which point, the discussion from theoretical to personal, “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’” (Luke
Read more

Thursday; January 12

The other day I was watching a television show that used a rather common term applied to overcoming challenges. When organizations experience unexpected setbacks – especially when they lose key people – they rely upon the concept of “Next Man Up”. In essence, when our starters (or stars) go down, effective organizations rely upon their next levels to step into the vacancy. While this is an effective response, have we given much thought as to how we prepare to be the “next people up”? First, we must know our job. Even when we aren’t the primary players, we need to be preparing ourselves to be ready when we get the opportunity to shine. Second, we must do our best when we get the chance. Knowledge is important but what turns potential into talent is effort. Yet, maybe the most underappreciated aspect of this concept is a willingness avoid excuse-making and whining about the unfairness of our situation. When we complain about the circumstances that caused the need for replacements
Read more

Monday; September 25

When I was a youngster, I remember hearing about this thing called the Generation Gap. I was a little bit too young to be active in the social movements of the 1960s, but I do remember listening to the challenges the generations were experiencing way back then. Interestingly, now that I have been on both sides of the aging process, I have to admit that the Gap of the 1960s was nothing new. With the development of each generation comes conflict. The young people don’t feel like the older people understand them and the older folks tend to believe their input is being underappreciated. Too often trust is the casualty when two generations collide. The sad thing is that it doesn’t have to be this way. When we can capture the innovation and energy of the younger folks and harness the wisdom of those who have been around for a while we can develop a winning combination. No, we won’t always see things eye-to-eye nor will we necessarily speak the same emotional language, but when we app
Read more