The Answer - When Good People Do Good

After another long day at work yesterday I came home to news of the CT school shooting and thought to myself what a rough world we live in.  Sometimes in my blog I debate if I should be writing more about my own life and experiences, or trying to focus on collective events or issues of the day.  After all, what are our own experiences if they are not part of the greater experience?  But this really reflects my thought process in general.  How much time and energy should I focus on myself vs. other people and their problems?  What's the balance?

Better question, is there a balance?  Or is it a pendulum, pulling one way in a season of your life when you're struggling and then shifting weight in the opposite direction as you mature a little more or get help?  How much do we give and how much do we get?

In no way can I really begin to address what's happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in CT.  Nor can I say much in the way of WHY all of the recent shootings in our country have occurred.  But I've heard social media trying to explain it, trying to deal with reality.  There is one area I'd like to address.  I get frustrated that some folks choose to throw a wide net of unfounded explanation over events which sound the same but aren't the same (eg. it's the President's fault, the economy, etc).  Thankfully there are investigations which seek out the cold-hard facts related to the person's health and background who committed the crime.  Mental illnesses that aren't managed well are often part of the equation.  And we know that the marginalized in our society will always be statistically more likely to commit crimes like what happened yesterday (although I'd argue crimes committed on Wall Street by the rich are extremely devastating too, they're just more sneaky about it).

The even greater question is, what can we do?

First, live good values.  Be true to yourself.  Spend time EVERY day meditating on what you're grateful for.

Second, care for your neighbor that's struggling.  We've asked for the government to do it too many times and then we complain it's inefficient.  If you aren't caring for your neighbor, you're inviting the government to mandate it through taxes.  Our free society only works if we take responsibility.

Third, it's okay to hold people accountable for their jobs, things which they can actively control, but stop pointing fingers at ambiguous entities like you are shedding light on some epiphany which will guide us all to a brighter future.  In other words, stop complaining about corporations or the government or the politicians and BE the change you wish to see in this world.  Write down what you believe and then write down things you actually DO in order to live out those beliefs.  There should be "action" on your part...otherwise you could get by in life with just your mouth.  Well, your head anyway.

Grieve and mourn our personal and collective tragedies.  But then my friend, raise your head high and know that you have a lot of good that needs doing.  You will make this decision as soon you get out of bed in the morning.  You'll have some hard days ahead.  But I promise you, when the good people do the good work, the world is a better place.