Suspending #Apathy in the Age of #SocialResponsibility / #socialgood #epicCommitment #children #America

We live in a chaotic, tumultuous  time. What is right seems wrong and what is wrong seems right. 

Truly, the constant pain and grief experienced by families who have put forth their children to serve our land cannot be fathomed. What can be said when a police officer is gunned down? What do you tell his mother? What do you tell his son? How is that son supposed to not get jaded growing up in a society which makes light of killing cops through music and a pervasive attitude to buck that which upholds communities? What happens to mindsets when this reality continues unabated? 

I see the pain and anger in the face of many of our fellow police officers…even when they smile.    The fact that it is their duty to go all out for our protection at every moment does not get lost on me. Surely, we have many days of relative peace and daily life can appear to seem monotonous. The lady cop directing traffic is not performing rocket science as she waves cars and people on by. From this small vantage point, it is easy to forget that that same officer must remain mentally sharp and ready to spring into action for you and me. That same officer must maintain a heroic mindset… a selfless mindset, ready to pay with her life in order to keep the peace.

It breaks my heart. Does it break yours?

I know some of them. I am thankful they smile back at me. My late-father was in the U.S. Marines and Army. I have deep respect at every moment for those who serve us. It does not matter that they are standing by the construction road crew fixing the street looking like they are just standing there. I know better.

 It’s not what you do, it is who you are! It is what you are ready to do for me and others. 

Moving forward

As a community, how can more of us join hands to turn the tide of apathy that runs rampant? Indifference is an easy option. Do nothing. Let others be concerned with the social tears in our fabric. You are busy. You must work. There is a party to go to. Beers to be drunk and good times to be had. There are places to travel to and all sorts of entertainments for us…. just like it was in the days of ancient Rome. Every major city has its coliseum. Mindsets are routed towards the next sports game in an unending cycle of distraction while kids grow up forming (usually by default) their sense and place in this world. 

As the touchdowns are scored and the televised sports championships are won, children get a sense of the expectations of what life is about. Kids are human too and are quick learners, perhaps too quick. Left to their own devices some take matters into their own hands. Hence, school shootings are a form of grotesque communication, criminal gang life is an attempt to find love and comfort, prevalent drug use numbs the pain of the reality that is set before them. Officers tend to step in when things get out of hand. 

What if we were to temporarily suspend our apathy for a bit as an experiment and see where we as individuals can make a difference? No one is saying that we have to foment a world-wide movement of lovingkindness, but can you and I foment a personal movement of lovingkindness for each other? Instead of being quick to pass judgement and turn our backs on strangers, can we break the pattern and see what happens? Unconditional love is required to break apathy in half. Apathy (the opposite of love), waits for us to grow tired of caring. Let us give apathy a counter-punch of resilient, nurturing love that it cannot get back up anymore.