Just Care

Have you ever really thought about how bad people are to each other? I know its a weird question. I was listening to Civil War by Guns N Roses this morning and then had a flash memory of the scene from "The Fifth Element" where Leeloo
"catches up" on history and freaks out. People are really bad to each other! They steal, lie, cheat, murder, punch, kick, stab, shoot each other. Often just for trinkets or fleeting wealth. Sometimes for "power" which is really just authority to do more of the same stuff with less risk of getting in trouble. Its pretty sad and scary when you think about it. The really sad, even depressing, part is that when you think globally, the problem is so big that you get hopeless. There is nothing I can do in Tennessee to relieve the hell in some foreign country.

What should we do then? Do we just throw our arms up and say oh well, might as well get in on the action? I think not. I think it all comes down to individuals, not necessarily huge organized movements, but the actions of individuals. Individuals just have to decide to not be horrible to others. I know that sounds so simple it is almost childish. Think about the ramifications though.

Lets look at my business. How often do I have the opportunity to mess up someone's life--almost daily. I can lie, cover up things, cheat on paperwork, forge signatures, talk people into loans or products that will ultimately hurt them, sell them on a house that will ultimately hurt them. I could do all that. I could probably make more money (at least short term) if I did that. I could only refer service providers that gave me a kickback. This means I wouldn't necessarily refer the best person and I would certainly not have my clients' best interest at heart, but instead my own pocket. I could do that. But, again, I wouldn't have my clients' best interest at heart. Instead, I choose to care. Just care about my clients, their well being, their health, their wealth, their needs and wants. I care if the house they are buying is not what they need. I care if the person fixing their commode does a bad job. You get the point.

Lets take that a step further. It is so easy to see hardship and suffering in far off places on TV and say, well, its not in my back yard. I don't care. Even if we don't actually say that out loud, we still say it in our actions--or lack of actions. I'm not asking you to do much. Just care. See that suffering and say, "wow, that is heartbreaking." Then do whatever your heart stirs you to do. Maybe it is just to say a prayer. Maybe it is to find a relief fund that actually does the work and support that. Maybe it is just to tell all your friends about it through social media. Maybe you are stirred to actual action and you get up and go there to help. I don't know. I just want you to care first. Stop being so cynical and jaded and cold and numb to the reality that people are terrible because they don't care. Just care. It will change your life and lives around you.

I know I sound like a "feed the children" commercial but I think this needs to be said. How much better would the world be if people just gave a crap about each other?