Everyday we are faced with a steady stream of more of the same. You can tune into any news program on any network and hear basically the same drivel repeated over and over again. The Republicans have somehow managed to screw up everything the Democrats were trying to screw up before them. Of course everything from spoiled milk to global climate change is George W. Bush’s fault. The greedy Wall Street investors have taken all of the jello pudding from the poor people ( this of course set off the war in the middle east).
Naturally this sounds completely absurd, and it is. Lots of blame, no real solutions. I fear that now we may have sank to the bottom of the sea when it comes to really finding the “right” way for our nation to “go”.
While sitting here pondering these things, I am watching my little 7 month old granddaughter play on the floor. She is totally oblivious to the grand plight of the world. To her it’s a new day, everyday. How exciting would it be to wake up every morning to a whole new set of experiences, living in a world where your main concern is being able to sit up on your own. As I watch this little miracle, I realize, she is all about solutions, not problems. When she doesn’t understand something, she studies it. If it is something new (and to a 7 month old it usually is) she is completely involved with it. She knows that if she has an need, she can cry for help. She isn’t selfish, she is very loving. She smiles at a glance and chuckles at just about everything. In her world, she has great faith in her future. It hasn’t been tainted by a steady barrage of bad news.
How great a lesson is here? If each of us were to get up every morning with the attitude “it’s a new day, everyday”, how would our lives be. Would we try to learn more about our own surroundings, or just complain about things outside of our control? I am convinced that babies have much to teach. If we take the time to view the world fresh every day, we might then be able to see a way out of many of the messes we seem to be in. Maybe we could forget , for a brief moment, the past turmoil we have experienced and look for a bright possibility of success today. Just as my granddaughter is discovering that rolling around can get her places, we could learn that a simple smile could break down a cold encounter with someone.
My point here is that today we rely far to much on what we are told by the general media and not enough on what we can learn as we seek knowledge and information on our own. I am convinced that our greatest weakness in this day and age is the inherent laziness that has been created by our over reliance on the television, radio, or internet as it tells us what to do and think. Maybe we should try tuning out of the digital world for a time and re-entering the analog world (books). By acquiring new knowledge and information through reading and other pursuits of study, we can re-energize our inspiration to find real solutions to the problems that plague us. As we do this, we could then talk to each other, sharing the information collected. Together we can work toward solving common issues.
We do not need more government bailouts or programs, we need community. We don’t need some expert or pundant on CNN to give us the latest poll numbers reflecting what 1028 “randomly” selected people in outer Mongolia said when asked “what do you think”. What we do need is for neighbors to talk. If all of us took a personal role in discovering why things are the way they are, instead of just being told that is how they are, then understanding the solutions will be much easier.
When you get up tomorrow, ask yourself ”what can I do today to make MY environment better?”. Find an uplifting book to read. Make it a point to learn something new. Talk to someone you might not normally speak to as everyone has something to add. Find the solutions to problems there, not on Rush or Air America. Turn off Fox and turn on your family table. With a renewed sense of community, we can solve any problem that is out there.
Just a thought, Glenn Smith Jr, author of The Key of Forgiveness, www.kingdomkeysbooks.com
Friday, January 30th, 2009 - 4:55 AM
Category: Life/Living/People.
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