Pages

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Thursday's Children - People

I'd originally planned for a much different post today, but the events on Monday in Boston have pushed that post back a while.

I'm frequently accused of being a bit of a Pollyanna. But ultimately, I believe that people are good. I'm occasionally proved wrong in epic fashion, but nine times out of ten, I'm right. I see it all the time.

I've seen my former daycare kids come home from school carrying trash to throw away because, "That crap doesn't belong in nature!"

I've had taller people reach things down for me off the shelves in the grocery store because I'm short and have T-Rex arms.

I've seen a woman at the grocery store help out a young mother in front of her because she didn't have enough money.

I've had my coffee paid for at Starbucks by the person in front of me and I've passed it on.

I've seen teenagers buy a hot meal for a homeless man  at McDonald's.

There was the man who took care of my brother when his wife was admitted to the hospital - not a staff member, just a kind soul with a relative there.

I've watched my child roll down the car window and hand over his birthday cash to a homeless man.

And this week, we saw people running into danger to offer medical assistance. We saw people opening their homes to strangers. We saw people caring about each other.

The sick, hate-fill people make the news, but it's the kind people - the ones run after you to give you your keys, or the shoe your infant kicked off while you were carrying his car seat across the parking lot. They're the ones who smile in support when your toddler is having a tantrum about wanting a baseball team. They're the ones who rip off their own clothes to make tourniquets and bandages and offer comfort.

These are the people that inspire me. These are the people who make me want to spread kindness like it's a damn virus. These are the people who make me want to write things that matter and offer comfort and understanding with the written word as well as in my everyday life.

I'll leave you with a quote by Patton Oswalt. You may very well have seen it already, but if not:

Boston. Fucking horrible.

I remember, when 9/11 went down, my reaction was, "Well, I've had it with humanity."

But I was wrong. I don't know what's going to be revealed to be behind all of this mayhem. One human insect or a poisonous mass of broken sociopaths.

But here's what I DO know. If it's one person or a HUNDRED people, that number is not even a fraction of a fraction of a fraction of a percent of the population on this planet. You watch the videos of the carnage and there are people running TOWARDS the destruction to help out. (Thanks FAKE Gallery founder and owner Paul Kozlowski for pointing this out to me). This is a giant planet and we're lucky to live on it but there are prices and penalties incurred for the daily miracle of existence. One of them is, every once in awhile, the wiring of a tiny sliver of the species gets snarled and they're pointed towards darkness.

But the vast majority stands against that darkness and, like white blood cells attacking a virus, they dilute and weaken and eventually wash away the evil doers and, more importantly, the damage they wreak. This is beyond religion or creed or nation. We would not be here if humanity were inherently evil. We'd have eaten ourselves alive long ago.

So when you spot violence, or bigotry, or intolerance or fear or just garden-variety misogyny, hatred or ignorance, just look it in the eye and think, "The good outnumber you, and we always will."


Don't forget to check out the Blog Hop, and join in, too!


Here's the code for the Linky to put on your own post.

<!-- start LinkyTools script -->
<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/basic_linky_include.aspx?id=192455" type="text/javascript"></script>
<!-- end LinkyTools script -->

23 comments:

  1. I feel the same way (as you'll see from the intro to my post). Boston was my home for over ten years and it's a great city in so many ways. I've had friends and family run the marathon. It hit pretty close to home, in other words. But what hit closest is the death of a child. That trumps geography every time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post, amazing quote. Well said. And, I like Pollyanna ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I loved Patton's post. And tonight, watching the tribute at the top of the Bruins game, seeing entire T.D. Garden sing along to the national anthem, was proof positive that there's nothing pollyanna about your beliefs. Great post. It's been a heavy week but this is what we all need to take home with us.
    ~Dannie @ Left to Write

    ReplyDelete
  4. This is a gorgeous, gorgeous post. I don't even know waht else to say. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I agree there are more good people in the world. I am constantly amazed at the kindness of strangers and the willingness of people to help. It's so good to remember this when we're faced with such pointless destruction.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Wonderful post. It's so important to remember there are a lot of good people in the world, especially when the monsters are so visible.

    ReplyDelete
  7. This is the 2nd post today to remind me that humanity is worth it, and I thank you. My motto is Be Kind, Find Peace, Give Love (and read books)...I usually keep the read books part off, but really, reading is what helps us understand other people better, relate to other people far away or from different cultures...reading we can do with our own filters on, instead of the Media's.
    So, I hope you will write stories about kindness and continue to be inspired by the humanity out there who are worth it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very true, thank you for sharing this- we need to read posts like this.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Great point. It may seem like people are no good (remember that driver that cut you off? Or that cashier who gave you lip?)... BUT, the majority of the people around us are kind-hearted and friendly. We just have to look a little more closely.

    Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey Chris, I think the world needs more Polyannas, especially weeks like this week. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  11. I have been browsing on-line more than 3 hours nowadays, yet I by
    no means found any fascinating article like yours. It's beautiful price enough for me. In my view, if all webmasters and bloggers made excellent content material as you probably did, the web will be a lot more helpful than ever before. "Perfection of moral virtue does not wholly take away the passions, but regulates them." by Saint Thomas Aquinas.

    Here is my blog: adfocus bot

    ReplyDelete
  12. Wonderful beat ! I would like to apprentice while you amend your site,
    how could i subscribe for a blog website? The account helped me a acceptable deal.
    I had been a little bit acquainted of this your broadcast offered bright
    clear concept

    Look into my web site; miscrits cheats 2012

    ReplyDelete
  13. Outstanding story there. What occurred after?

    Take care!

    Feel free to surf to my website :: earn every day

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's appropriate time to make some plans for the long run and it's time to be happy.
    I have learn this post and if I may just I desire to recommend you some attention-grabbing
    things or suggestions. Maybe you could write next articles relating to this article.
    I want to read even more things about it!

    my website :: Best Cheats For Miscrits Game

    ReplyDelete
  15. Very good info. Lucky me I recently found your site by accident (stumbleupon).
    I have book marked it for later!

    Check out my web site - Twitter Account

    ReplyDelete
  16. Good day! This is kind of off topic but I need some advice from an established
    blog. Is it hard to set up your own blog?

    I'm not very techincal but I can figure things out pretty fast. I'm
    thinking about setting up my own but I'm not sure where to begin. Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Cheers

    my website; youtube Bot

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have been surfing online greater than 3 hours these days,
    yet I never found any fascinating article like yours.

    It's lovely price sufficient for me. Personally, if all web owners and bloggers made just right content material as you probably did, the web shall be much more helpful than ever before. "I finally realized that being grateful to my body was key to giving more love to myself." by Oprah Winfrey.

    my web-site - redeem psn code

    ReplyDelete
  18. Excellent post. I was checking constantly this blog and I am impressed!
    Very useful information particularly the remaining section :) I
    take care of such information a lot. I was seeking this certain info for a very lengthy time.
    Thanks and best of luck.

    Feel free to surf to my web site ... psn cards

    ReplyDelete
  19. Very interesting subject , thankyou for putting up.
    "He who seizes the right moment is the right man." by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.


    Also visit my site; adfly hack

    ReplyDelete
  20. Merely wanna comment that you have a very decent site, I love the
    style and design it actually stands out.

    my homepage; forgot twitter password

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi! I just wish to give you a big thumbs up for the excellent information you've got right here on this post. I am returning to your web site for more soon.

    Take a look at my web-site: cheats für castleville

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hey there! This is my first comment here so I
    just wanted to give a quick shout out and tell you I truly enjoy reading your articles.
    Can you suggest any other blogs/websites/forums that go over
    the same subjects? Many thanks!

    Also visit my webpage - Watch TV Series

    ReplyDelete