Wailing and gnashing of teeth. People parading in the streets or on campus, screaming, carrying signs, singing, or disrupting gatherings where decorum and respect would be more appropriate. Another group resorts to name calling, speeches, and threats.
Those behaviors serve neither cause. All who pile on end up looking like third graders in a playground fight. If it looks like a duck, waddles like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. Which begs the question of why we let our leaders turn into third graders. Worst of all, much of the disruption is funded by foreign entities.
“What if they gave a war and nobody came?” Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Hopefully, it makes us realize that not every comment or action requires a response. Hopefully, more of us will refuse to participate in group think and seek to discern what individual actions we can take that help our collective lives work more smoothly.
Looking under the rock for what’s behind all the hate and discontent, we find several things. Pride, money, power, and fear, to name a few. Those who seek to manipulate you do it out of fear, because they perceive you as stronger, and a threat to their agendas. As a student of history, I’m aware that this kind of behavior has gone on for centuries. The Old Testament is full of such stories. The Boston Tea Party is an example. Abe Lincoln and George Washington were well versed in back room deals.
Many who claim to be paralyzed by fear of what’s coming down the political pike seem to believe that throwing money behind a cause is the solution. Others, who claim belief in an all-powerful Higher Power, act as though that entity needs plenty of nudging. Perhaps it’s we who need a nudge.
There are countless community projects that need willing hands. Leaders burn out, age out, or move away, and often no one steps up to continue the work. Volunteers for Backpack Programs in schools and Meals on Wheels, are desperately needed. Few are the folks willing stand for county office or school board, join in keeping the VFW or American Legion active—all of these, and more, are opportunities to make a difference and you don’t need a mask, sign, or an ability to sing.
One church changed its approach to helping folks in need. Formerly, they asked people what they needed; help with rent, food, transportation, or whatever. But when they began asking what people were good at; what skills they had, wonderful things happened. Folks started to help one another, trade, barter, and meet their neighbor’s needs. They no longer saw themselves as victims, but contributing members of society.
I know a man who stepped up to teach Sunday School when the current teacher requested a replacement. He wondered if they would accept a bearded Harley rider with body art, but he knows the kids, and loves them—all is well. A man who regrets not having been in the military now serves as a county official. A woman works at a rehab place where the staff is very supportive of each other, always asking, “How can I be of help?” She mentioned this to a client, who said, “We see that and we want to follow it.”
Take heart. Everything comes to pass, not to stay. Be joyful, though you have considered all the facts.