What do you think our world would be like if we all decided to get along? Can you imagine a future where we would no longer hate or discriminate against others because they were different, but instead we would realize that it’s those differences that make the world such a great place? It’s actually hard to imagine isn’t it?
I came across an interesting passage while reading How to See Yourself As You Really Are
I heard a blurb on NPR this morning about a thief who broke into a house near Rome and stole some small valuables from a 52 year-old man. At some point while plundering this man’s home he decided to update his status and message a few friends on Facebook. When police came onto the scene they noticed that the Facebook homepage was still up, which was odd considering the victim was not a member of Facebook. Investigators were able to track down the culprit’s digital footprint and bring him to justice.
That’s just one way Facebook can save the day. Here’s another…
Facebook Causes is an incredible way for nonprofits to raise awareness and funding for their organization. These nonprofits need donations to operate and Facebook has 300+ million users with big hearts. Every dollar counts and so does every voice. Awareness is just as important as money to nonprofit organizations in terms of staying relevant and active. They need help getting the word out and we can help.
Here’s a few you may be interested in:
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Stop Animal Cruelty – Donations go to the American Humane Society. To date, this Cause has raised over $45,000 dollars for the Humane Society and has more than 4.3 million members.
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Campaign for Cancer Prevention – Donations go to Brigham & Women’s Hospital. To date, this Cause has raised over $109,000 and has more than 5 million members.
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St. Jude’s Children’s Research Center - Donations go to St. Jude. To date, this Cause has raised over $93,000 and has over 524,000 members.
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With over 180,000 registered nonprofits to choose from I doubt you’ll have a problem finding the one that you’re passionate about. Personally, I’m a huge supporter of Not For Sale. This organization brings awareness to and makes every effort to fight human trafficking and slavery. You can check out their Facebook cause page here and also learn more about their organization on their homepage. www.notforsalecampaign.org
So, what’s your Cause?
Tell me a little about the organization(s) that you support and feel strongly about.
In the last couple of weeks we’ve seen quite a few examples of the crumbling decency of our culture. Where has our respect gone? Rep. Joe Wilson allowed himself the momentary satisfaction of an emotional outburst at President Obama during a speech. Now the words “you lie” have become a catch phrase and while it isn’t the first time a President has been heckled (not even for this President) it is the first time a member of Congress has done so during a session.
Over the next few days the media frenzied around Serena Williams’ behavior at the US Open and then again when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards.
These are just a few displays of the complete lack of respect and compassion that is becoming the norm in our society. There’s a thick, bold line between dissent and disrespect. There’s nothing wrong in disagreeing with someone but it’s the manner in which you display your polarity that reflects your true nature. We seek out opportunities to ridicule and disparage each other without a care. Every bad act was the product of a bad decision and we have the ability to decide whether or not to destroy the spirit of another.
“Because we all share an identical need for love, it is possible to feel that anybody we meet, in whatever circumstances, is a brother or sister.”
“I feel that the essence of spiritual practice is your attitude toward others. When you have a pure, sincere motivation, then you have right attitude toward others based on kindness, compassion, love and respect.”
-His Holiness the Dalai Lama
This weekend my wife and I watched a lot of US Open coverage on the boob tube. Saturday night’s match between Serena Williams and Kim Clijsters was and will remain an unfortunate highlight of the tournament; not to mention a defining moment in Serena Williams’ career. Simply put, the behavior she displayed was nothing short of detrimental. Not just for her game, but for her reputation, her opponent, and the sport.
In the first set she received a code violation for racket abuse, which is a nice way of saying she lost her temper and broke her racket. Her game was off, she was losing, and it was getting to her emotionally. Towards the end of the game a foot foul was called by a line judge. There’s some debate as to whether the foot foul was a bad call but that’s insignificant. Nothing could excuse what happened next. Serena approached the line judge, waving her racket menacingly, and then gave her a verbal beat down to rival John McEnroe. I wasn’t sure what was said at first but they eventually replayed it with the sound focused and amplified. I was appalled. She had threatened the line judge with physical assault, complete with F-bombs. I won’t get any further into the nitty gritty of the exchange but Fox Sports has a pretty good run down of what happened and what was said (including the video) on their website under the heading Game, threat and match: Serena Williams passes point of no return.
The point I want to make is that whether we are public sports figures or regular shmoes we don’t have any excuse for being jerks. My dad always told my brother and me that two wrongs don’t make a right. It stuck with me and I try to live by it. Our actions and words are non-refundable. Once they’re let loose the ripple effect is fast on the move and sometimes the impact runs deep.
Who knows what negative effects will occur as a result of Serena’s actions. In the end she’ll be asking herself, “Was it worth it?” The answer is obviously no. Anytime you vilify someone else for your own benefit you are asking for trouble; especially when it’s being televised on a global scale. She’s been a role model, an example of integrity and good sportsmanship, for years. Those brief few moments could ruin all of that hard work.
Is it worth it? Never.
I’d love to know what your opinion on this story is. Be sure to comment below.
This morning I held the door open for a couple as they were walking into the coffee shop that I was leaving. Neither one of them acknowledged this gesture. I wasn’t doing it for the satisfaction of a thank you but it doesn’t mean that a little verbal gratitude wasn’t welcome. It seemed cold and apathetic to me that they would act as though someone didn’t just do something nice for them. Some might view it as acting expectant of my kindness, but I really feel it’s more along the lines of indifference. They could care less if it had happened or not. What if I had intentionally closed the door in their faces and made them open it themselves? I’m sure I’d see a reaction then, but a negative one.
In an entirely different instance a few weeks ago, I ran into Target to pickup coffee and creamer. (Why do all my stories involve coffee?) It was supposed to be a really quick in and out trip but people were back to school shopping and every lane was packed. I got in what I thought looked like the shortest line. Two ladies were ahead of me and had three buggies full of stuff between them. I decided to wait patiently. What was I really in a hurry for after all? Just as I had accepted the situation for what it was one of the women asked me to step in front of them since I had just a couple of items. The other woman said, “I was just about to ask him that myself. Yeah, get in front of us.” I gladly took them up on the offer and made sure that they knew how grateful I was for their kindness. I thanked them once again as I walked away from the check out and I could tell that they were just as uplifted by the exchange as I was.
I believe it’s in our best interest not only to be kind but to acknowledge kindness in others. Think about how many people potentially abandon courteous behavior because it wasn’t reciprocated or merely acknowledged. It’s seems childish but even when an act of kindness is done with the most sincere intentions we still hope for some fulfillment by way of appreciation. When that doesn’t happen we take a small hit emotionally. A lot of small hits will eventually add up to a big hit.
Make a point to thank someone openly when they do something nice for you. It could be their last attempt before giving up on kindness. It’s a cruel world and the nice people are few and far between so don’t be discouraged when your kindness isn’t acknowledged. Just be that much more inspired to be a kind and compassionate person.
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