Often when people ask me what I do, they will say, "How do you listen to people's problems all day? It would drive me crazy."
That is a fair question and if I worked with battered women all the time or dealt with child abuse, I would wonder the same thing. The overall feeling I get though from dealing with people's problems, disorders, and misfortunes is gratitude.
Take unemployment for instance. When I talk to a person who lost a job and cannot find work and are experiencing the horrors of no money, the perceived problems of my own job diminish. I realize how fortunate I am to be working. I am not dealing with foreclosure. I do not have to go to food banks. I do not have to feel the pangs of not providing for my family. But for the grace of God go I. I know that my employment is possible because I worked and prepared myself, but the world is full of good people who have sacrificed to get an education, climbed the corporate ladder only to be flung off by forces beyond their control.
Sometimes people are unemployed and are in a poor position to get hired. Things like not completing high school, police records, no support, single parent, and bad credit create seemingly insurmountable barriers. For these folks I try to encourage, to inspire, to give them enough hope they respond with effort.
Many politicians pontificate about social problems, then walk back behind the curtain to wallow in luxury. They see their duty complete with reading fine speeches crafted by professional wordsmiths. The media employs pundits to argue the talking points at high decibel levels. Two people preaching to two separate choirs. The person going to the news media for education is instead entertained - or attempted to be.
The amazing ability of technology to show real time events anywhere is a blessing and a curse. The long time affect to us the viewers is insensitivity. We can watch hungry Haitians as we stuff down a pizza delivered after a few clicks on our couch side laptop. We may feel a pang of pity for them and may even text a ten dollar bill if the guilt rises high enough, but all we have to do is flip channels and we are carried away into the life and death decisions that really matter - like American Idol and Survivor.
We all decide how to help those around us. We donate money to causes or to our church, and even help people out when we see the need.
Some people feel guilty because of their wealth and want to assuage it by making everyone do what they think should be done - I am thinking about redistributing wealth.
Here is my suggestion. Enjoy your wealth, but realize how lucky you are. Even if you worked your ass off to get it, just remember the guy working at McDonalds is working off his ass as hard as you ever have for a lot less money. So you are lucky and you are blessed and the natural response should be gratitude and humility.
Then give some of your profits to those in need and deserving of help. A clarification about help. Help is doing something for someone who cannot do it themselves. Enabling is doing something for someone who should have done it for themselves.
I do not hear politicians making a distinction between the people who have aggressively screwed up their lives through laziness, procrastination, and bad choices. They need help, but it should not be in the form of a handout. They require an opportunity. They should be shown a path, that if they travel it, will lead to the promised land.
There are people who have done everything right and still fall on bad times. It could happen to you. In the twinkling of an eye, your life could change. An accident could take away your ability to work and things could come crashing down. Your industry may fall on bad times and you could lose your job. There are good people in need there are people who hastened their demise, but are still in need. They all need help, but different kinds of help.
OK, end of rant / sermon. Enjoy peace if you have it. Be grateful, be thankful, be humble, and be charitable.
Until the next time
John Strain