Filed under: Inspirational Thoughts, Social Change | Tags: change, community, hope, Inauguration Day, President Obama
By Cheryl Mahoney
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I don’t know what country you might be in as you read this. Here in America, January 20th, Inauguration Day, has arrived. Political opinions vary, but just about everyone can agree that it’s a historic event–the swearing-in of the first African-American president. In recognition of that, I thought I’d offer a few words on social change from our soon-to-be 44th president, Barack Obama.
“You know, there’s a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit – the ability to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes; to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us – the child who’s hungry, the steelworker who’s been laid-off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town. When you think like this – when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers – it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help.”
–Barack Obama, speech, Aug. 11, 2006
“We have a stake in one another … what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and … if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done for the people with whom we share this Earth.”
–Barack Obama, speech, Dec. 1, 2006
“Hope is the bedrock of this nation; the belief that our destiny will not be written for us, but by us; by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is; who have courage to remake the world as it should be.”
–Barack Obama, speech, Jan. 3, 2008
That’s what we’re all about, right? Regardless of political party, even regardless of nationality. These are universal values: hope, and helping, and coming together to remake the world, each in our own small (or large) way, a little bit at a time.
Filed under: Giving, Volunteering | Tags: commitment, New Year's Resolutions, self-improvement
By Cheryl Mahoney
It’s just over a week into January, which means that probably a lot of people have already forgotten their New Year’s Resolutions. Maybe that makes this a good time to take a glance at the subject. I threw “new year’s resolutions” into GoodSearch.com just to see what I’d find.
Turns out that usa.gov has a page listing popular resolutions, with links to helpful pages. How unexpectedly useful! And I was glad to see that “Volunteer to Help Others” is on the list.
I also found a lot of articles about the abysmally low percentage rate for actually keeping resolutions–and some more positive articles about what steps to take to make resolutions stick. The basic rules seem to be–be realistic, be specific, plan carefully, and remember what inspired you to make this resolution to begin with. I found a good blog entry with even more advice at “What’s Best Next.”
Wishing you lots of luck with your New Year’s resolution, whatever it might be. I believe the best resolutions are ones that not only help ourselves but also help others–because when we help others, it does us some good too. My other favorite rule–it doesn’t have to be January 1st to be a good time to resolve to make a difference.
Filed under: Inexpensive Ways to Give, Inspirational Thoughts | Tags: anonymous giving, generosity, the Great Depression
By Cheryl Mahoney
Many have made comparisons between our current economic situation and the Great Depression of the 1930s. I recently read a wonderful article in The New York Times that took a slightly different angle on this subject: looking back to the Great Depression for an example of how to give during a hard time.
Ted Gup wrote an Op-Ed piece for The Times about a story of giving from the Great Depression. Just before Christmas in 1933, a letter appeared in the local newspaper in Canton, Ohio, inviting those in need of relief to write in with their stories. “Mr. B. Virdot” promised to write checks to help tide people over the holidays. Hundreds of letters poured in, and checks went out, signed B. Virdot, mostly in the amounts of five or ten dollars. In the end, B. Virdot sent out $750 to people in need–much more money then than now. The mystery is, Canton, Ohio was a relatively small town (slightly over 100,000 people) and no one in it was named B. Virdot.
B. Virdot turned out to be Samuel J. Stone, the article-writer’s grandfather. He had given the money anonymously, some of it to people he knew personally. So anonymously, in fact, that his grandson only recently found out the truth.
What struck me in this story is how such a seemingly small thing can really be such a big thing. Five dollars or ten dollars, then as now, probably won’t change someone’s life–but it can make a difference. I imagine that it was not so much the money that helped, as the feeling that someone cared, and was willing to be generous as a result. What a beautiful example this is of sharing what we have with the people around us who need a little help, and without expecting anything in return–even recognition.
No resource or charity to click today. Just a story about giving, in small ways or big, and coming together in a difficult time to help where we can.
