"People will support that which the help to create." - Mary Kay Ash
It's very easy to find yourself in the safety of your own home and find fault with the community you live in. It's not just easy, it's seems second nature to us. We've all fallen into this trap at one point or another. That's okay.
What's not okay is to stay in that place. Or worse, to pull others down to that scary, dreadful place with you. This place fosters fear, anger, and resentment. Used for the right purpose these bad feelings can be transformed into knowledge, righteous indignation, and motivation.
The trick is climbing back out and not staying in the trap. A huge factor in climbing out is the support you can draw on. We all draw this support from different places. For some of us it's family, for some it's an internal warrior within, for some it's a trusted friend, for many of us it's God. For some, we may be still exploring where this strength comes from, which can be a journey of it's own.
When we find the areas were we have strength, we begin to find the place where we can help others. What you find may surprise you. I've found many hidden talents & strengths in the most unexpected places.
Often you get much more from helping another human being than you ever would have expected. When you see that help amplified by that person "Paying it Forward" it's an indescribable feeling that will make you want to give again and again.
When you see your community evolving before your eyes, you notice it. When you take steps to bring change to your community, like "Take Back Antioch" is attempting to do, it inspires you. Inspired people who have a desire to take back their neighborhood and make it a desirable place to live again have more power than they know. They have the power to work with their own hands and minds, inspiring those around them, and taking back their community.
Yay, I like your new blog. And it's pretty! :)
ReplyDeleteI've contemplated this same topic you wrote about. Personally I've come to the conclusion that much of what is going on is related to today's television, and lack of religion in our country. The darn TV is full of programs meant only to give us something/someone to judge. All those reality shows, talk shows, cop shows... what is their message other than "Hey look at these crazy poeple! Aren't you glad you're not so gross/weird/slutty/whatever as they are?" Magazines are exactly the same. That gets in our heads & we carry it over into our communities. We are so judgemental as a society!
And 2nd, I definitely think things would be different if we had more folks listening to God's message to take care of each other, be of service, & GIVE. Instead, we take care of ourselves, and have become quite selfish.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Feel free to take them with a grain of salt. :)
As for me, I'm all talk! LOL I'm not very involved in my community because I feel our living situation is temporary. We'll be buying land & moving to another state sooner than later. So, I look out my window at my community & moan that I have to look at people instead of goats & chickens. Lol. Yeah, I could do better. ;)
Aubrey