Freedom #09: the Right to CARE … (07/07/13)
RIGHT #09: the Right to CARE (the verb)
“The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You trade in your sense for an act. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask. There can’t be any large-scale revolution until there’s a personal revolution, on an individual level. It’s got to happen inside first.” ~ Jim Morrison
There is a shift in consciousness that is taking place. More & more people are turning away from the hollow promises of their politicians; “leaders” who assure us that everything is going to be alright and that they are already doing everything that can be done. More & more people are turning away from the vain platitudes of their preachers; “reverends” who tempt us to sit back and have faith that God is going to come down from Heaven and right all wrongs. More & more people are turning away from the droning blur of their televisions; “news” that spreads courage-castrating images of fearful violence, and “entertainments” that smother us with mind-numbing visions of decadent desires.
More & more of us are choosing to look around us instead — to look around us and see the injustice & the corruption & the poverty that have enveloped most of the world’s citizens, indeed most of our own neighbors.
More & more of us are waking up.
And as we begin to awaken to the pain & the suffering & the misery, our innate sense of empathy is awakened as well. We yearn to do something about the pain … We yearn to ease the misery … We yearn to soothe the suffering … We yearn to make it right.
And yet, what are we to do? What can we as individuals do to make a real difference? Most of us don’t have enough money to donate large chunks of cash to a cause, and most of us don’t have the free time to donate large portions of our lives to those in need. Most of us believe that we only have a little bit to give, and most of us don’t even know where or how to start giving.
Well, once again I come to you with some Great News. While it is true that larger donations of resources and magnanimous acts of service are indeed wonderful gifts to humanity, the Truth of the matter is this:
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO GIVE “BIG” TO DO BIG GOOD.
That’s right … as it turns out, even the smallest deed of selfless Kindness is incredibly powerful; life-changing even. As it turns out, we don’t need to wait for a worthwhile” service opportunity to present itself, and we don’t need to seek out those who need our Love “the most”. As it turns out, it is enough for us to do the deeds that we can already do, and to do them where we already are.
To clarify this oft-overlooked Truth, consider the following:
*Visiting the ill & the injured in hospitals is awesome, AND anonymously placing uplifting notes on the cars in hospital parking lots still does great Good.
*Reading to the elderly in a retirement home is incredible, AND listening to an octogenarian share the wisdom of his or her life-story still does great Good.
*Volunteering at a local soup kitchen is inspirational, AND bringing cookies to a reclusive or unpopular neighbor still does great Good.
*Becoming a Big Brother, a Big Sister or a Foster Parent is phenomenal, AND giving smiles & encouragement to the children you encounter every day still does great Good.
*Preaching unconditional Love humbly from the pulpit is fantastic, AND simply asking a member of another religion to share with you about their values and their faith (and then non-judgmentally listening to them while they do so) still does great Good.
*Protesting political corruption and ineptitude is powerful, AND ignoring politics altogether (and investing that time & energy in your own community) does even greater Good.
*Reaching out to embrace an overbearing boss or a difficult co-worker or a mean classmate is brilliant, AND “gossiping positively” about them behind their back still does great Good.
*Sitting down next to, speaking kindly with, and then hugging a homeless person is life-changing, AND giving them a bite to eat while telling them you care still does great Good.
*Becoming an animal rights activist is magnificent, AND vocally boycotting all circuses, zoos & rodeos still does great Good.
*Openly complimenting a stranger is fabulous, AND making eye-contact, smiling at them, and sincerely asking them how they are doing still does great Good.
*Beautifying a public park or vacant lot is tremendous, AND picking up the garbage you see on the sidewalk still does great Good.
*Demonstrating for equality & human rights is powerful, AND embracing a neighbor who believes differently than you do still does great Good.
*Rescuing an animal from a shelter is sensational, and yet being Extra Kind to the strays you see on the street (as well as to your own pet, of course) still does great Good.
*Protesting against Monsanto & other companies that are infesting our food supply with their tainting GMO’s is extraordinary, and yet growing (& sharing) your own food does even greater Good.
*Being openly Loving to someone who has deeply hurt you is amazing, AND silently forgiving your enemies still does great Good.
*Going vegan is life-saving (literally), and yet going vegetarian just a few days a week still does great Good.
In essence, my Friends, there is no such thing as an insignificant act of Kindness … Every selfless deed requires some measure of courage; requires some transcendence of fear & some confrontation with discomfort. As such, every act so performed is a powerful one.
And only these difficult deeds will ultimately matter; only they will turn the tide and allow our species to survive; only they will bring the change we all must one day See.
So let’s go do our small-yet-potent part …
Let’s go be that change today.
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” ~ M. Gandhi
“The question which the priest and the Levite asked was: ‘If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?’ But the good Samaritan reversed the question, asking: ‘If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?” ~ MLK Jr.
“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” ~ R. Tagore
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