Finding Relevance

In an age of chaos and topsy turvy morality, how do we find relevance that fits us? That fits me, you, whoever? This is a personal thing, rooted in self-identity and worth.


I have struggled with this over the years. More so today than before. Yesteryears – 50+ years ago – I noted huge social needs and found ways to serve them. That took time and commitment, but such was found, and conditions improved. Today I see the same problems only worse.


What to do? How to act today that makes sense and complements my sense of self and worth?


Well, I know from experience that doing for self doesn’t work. Doing for others does work.


Starting with that as a foundation, several actions become naturally visible:

a.      Support others in discussing and clarifying the issues that matter to them

b.      Laugh and learn with them; share common humanity with them

c.      Help others with the simple acts of kindness to ease life’s challenges

d.      Seek no reward for this work; the acts are their own reward

The benefits from these efforts are several:

a.      Kindness permeates the community

b.      Larger problems become manageable

c.      Community finds resources to solve common problems

d.      Values grow within to embrace the possible

e.      The possible reaches out to larger communities

f.       Broad spread community derives the values to drive morality

g.      Morality embraces the national society

You see where this is leading? A nation that cares about its people in ways that transfix kindness and caring to standards of honesty and fairness. Armed with these, how can it fail?


Now, contrast that paragraph with today: a president who grabs p---y, has multiple affairs while married, cheats investors, boasts of wrong-doing, manipulates truth, lies continually, and still is supported by his political party, big money, corporations and the US Senate. The Constitution is overturned by such behavior. And that is only the top of our national government. State governments have similar challenges. So too, regional and local governments. Not all, but far too many.


We also have a society that looks the other way in matters of discrimination in race, gender, gender orientation, poverty, healthcare coverage and environmental protection. We honor and worship greed, athletics, games, glitter and sexuality and power. We seem to have given up on fairness and honesty.


All of those problems challenge the individual’s sense of worth and relevance. Yes, I am demeaned by a glittery social order that values things over people. Isn’t it time we reversed this trend?


February 6, 2020