Author’s note: So, this should have about 75 qualifying caveats, but that would muddle things a bit too much. This small caveat will just have to suffice:
Every circumstance has extenuating circumstances. This is about the general and overarching circumstance of humanity.
How?
How can you?
How can you have or know a baby and not do all that you can to try to make sure they are stable, warm, fed, loved, and have every possible chance of making a go at this crazy thing called life? Babies can be stinky, loud, and sleep deprived but almost everyone has been on the receiving end of one of those little toothless grins below glittering eyes that give you a warm feeling that tomorrow might just be better than today.
How can you have or know a toddler and not build a world where they are not afraid, anxious, numb, or neglected? Almost everyone has heard the giggle of a delighted toddler. It’s the kind of giggle that makes you wish bottling it’s power was possible because, if so, surely it would end wars and cure diseases.
How can you have or know a school-aged child (kindergarten – senior year) and not move heaven and earth to ensure they are safe, nurtured, and have all the tools possible to navigate one of the most difficult parts of one’s life? A lot of people have either been on the receiving end of a perfectly disastrous handmade gift from a younger kiddo or watched as the perpetually, internally focused preteen/teen crawls out from behind their carefully crafted persona to seek advice or simply hold the door for someone carrying a heavy load (figuratively or literally). Those shining examples of thoughtfulness and selflessness are truly missed opportunities for grown adults to mine inspiration for how to be.
How can you be or know a woman and not use your voice to empower, uplift, protect, and enrich. Just think of the best women in your life and think of everything that was missed because of times they were scared, alone, stifled, abused, silenced, and broken. Just about every (clap) single (clap) person (clap) has been the direct recipient of the pure alchemy of a woman from the critical ten-thousand-foot thinking of a CEO to ensuring every belly gets filled on the most threadbare shoestring budget and everything in between.
How can you have or know a person of advanced age and not work to ensure their dignity, relevance, opportunity for legacy, comfort, peace, and opportunity to contribute? Not a person walks this earth who hasn’t directly benefited from the wisdom of someone before them. How much is missed and forever lost because these people are trivialized and dismissed?
How can you know someone in a marginalized community and not bring equity to the playing fields you are on? Here, marginalized includes the physically and mentally disabled, low-income, people of color, combat veterans, LGBTQ+, immigrants/refugees/migrants, and minority religions. Each of the groups in the aforementioned paragraphs have their Venn diagrams cross with the marginalized, if not entirely marginalized themselves. Each and every person, whether aware or not, has had their life experience enriched, improved, or even just simply functional because of people in these groups.
A number of Christian leaders regularly reference Matthew 25:40 when calling on people to care for/about each of groups mentioned throughout this piece. It essentially espouses that God’s keeping an eye out because what his followers do for the least of humanity, they do to God. Are we, self-identifying Christians and/or general citizens of humanity alike, so wrapped up in doing for ourselves, that we can’t be bothered to consider or take action for the least of these? Are we too selfish? Is that what this is? I’ve searched the far-reaches of my brain and I cannot fathom any other explanation. There are countless stories about how helping someone else has helped the helper. There aren’t so many stories about how helping someone has hurt the helper so maybe the better selfish thing to do would be to help more?
Wrapping up a piece with a pretty little hope bow is an easier navigation than just concluding with the discomfort and sadness that oftentimes, when surveying the landscape, it seems people are making choices that take care of themselves and no one else. It is a truly heartbreaking reality.
But alas, there must still be a spark of hopefulness somewhere deep down. Chris Anderson has devoted a crazy amount of time to the idea that generosity is infectious. Please, let him be right.
Sparks 