Thursday, July 12, 2012

I need you to do something for me

Don't worry. There's no risk of sleeping with the fishes.
I need a favor of you.

It'll be pretty easy. Pretty painless. Might even make you feel good.

I need you to help me restore my faith in humanity.

"Oh, is that all? No problem!" you may be saying. But I think it may be easier than you think.

I've been incredibly disheartened and disillusioned by our society lately. The vitriolic, vindictive, and hateful way we talk about/to anyone who has views different from our own, using political party labels as spiteful playground epithets, the utter lack of concern and/or disdain we have for anyone who has less than us and may need our help.

The real capper for me was this article I read yesterday. A woman, on the advice of her church (WTH?) dumped her 19-year-old severely handicapped daughter in a bar. She drove to another state, went to a bar she'd never seen before, and literally pushed her child through the door and left (driving back home to her other children). She didn't leave the girl (who cannot communicate and has the mental age of a 3-year-old) with a note for the people who would find her, no money, not even a hug goodbye. I found this quite despicable. But what bothered me the most was the overwhelming number of people in the comments defending this woman. Saying her actions were perfectly understandable and the state was right not to charge her with any misdeed.

Not everyone, of course. Other people, especially those who have some connection to a disabled person, were outraged that she wouldn't go to a hospital or a social services office or a church (just not hers, apparently, jeez) or somewhere other than an unknown bar in another state when she felt she couldn't care for her child anymore. They were angry that she didn't show any emotion or regret about dumping someone who had been in her life for nineteen years in such a callous way. They sympathized with the difficulty of her situation, many of them being in the same boat themselves, but they disagreed vehemently with her way of dealing with it.

But overwhelmingly, people didn't think she'd really done anything wrong. I know, the people who comment on news stories are not representative of our society as a whole. But it really discouraged me that there were that many people willing to take the time to type out a response to defend this woman who just shit-canned her kid.

Now, I know not everyone is an uninformed, heartless cad. I know there are millions of good-hearted folks out there trying to do the right thing and looking out for each other. I am well aware of that, and honestly, that knowledge is what keeps me sticking around on this earth. But sometimes, a gal needs a little proof.

So, do this favor for me.

Show me.

Do something good today.
It doesn't have to be a huge gesture. Just be nice to someone.

Pay for that kid's ice cream cone.
Offer that elderly man your seat on the bus.
Help out that mom whose kid just threw her pacifer across the restaurant.
Make a donation (whatever you can do, however small) to a charity that's doing work to help others.
Compliment someone.
Open a door for someone.
Check in with someone you know has been having a tough time lately.
Go out of your way to make someone's day a little easier, a little brighter.

Then tell me what you did.

You can comment on this blog, or on my Facebook post, or through your own mechanisms.
Pass it around. Encourage others to do the same for you. The bad in the world is getting so much attention right now; let's focus some light on the good. And prove that human beings really aren't bastard-coated bastards with bastard filling.
Thank you.




12 comments:

  1. ON THE ADVICE OF HER CHURCH!!!??? this is why I am AGNOSTIC! "Wow" is all I can think to utter at this..just "Wow". I have a great punishment, take away her other children before she has a chance to throw them away too.

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  2. Yeah, the church-thing really threw me. They advised her to go across state lines and dump her kid in a bar. Now, we don't know if this was a place like Cheers, but of all the places to drop someone who can't help themselves... People in the comments were actually saying that she was probably safer in a bar than the ER of a hospital. Whah? Yeah, inner city ERs can be filled with rough characters, but a bar you've never been to in your life is a better choice?

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  3. Olivia and I went to the nursing home to see my mom. She hopped up and made her smile for the first time in a long time. Olivia them said hi to all the residents she saw. They seemed to like it :)

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  4. $20 to help out a family whose son fell through a roof and broke his back.

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  5. Ok, here goes.

    I don't think this is huge, but I'll post anyway.

    About 3/4 of the way through my run today a dog began to run after me. I heard it coming, and it wasn't barking. I immediately turned around when I heard it. Fortunately it was a fairly young friendly dog with it's tongue hanging out, and it's tail wagging. I stopped, and it came up to me and smelled my hands. I pet it. I then began my run, and it continued to follow me. Rather than continuing I decided to take it back to the house it came from. it was back about a 1/4 mile downhill. (I really didn't want to rerun the 1/4 mile back up hill.) The dog went back to the house, and I continued my run. At first my mind was thing about having to rerun that uphill, but I decided to give thanks for having some more exercise instead. (After all the dog seemed to be enjoying a run.)

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  6. living a hermit's life offers little chance to be kind to actual humans (aside from Carrie... but it's my honor to devote myself to doing kind things for her). I could claim being kind to the grocery store folks overapologizing for my needing to wait. I could think back a couple of days where I actually talked to a neighbor (and ended up helping her with her wonky garage door). But maybe most fitting as my defense against bastard-filled bastard status which actually fits the day of prompt would be the many ways I pamper my daughter-with-fur. If she is so willing to share her unconditional joy and love for me upon awakening each morning or anytime I return home, I can only strive to be just a good of a soul to her or whomever else I might encounter. Granted, I am a bastard at times, but I'd like to think I lack the coating/filling that comes with the super-sized version.

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  7. Good for both you guys! Anyone who is kind to the doggies has my heart. :)

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  9. Sorry it's a little late - I donated to help rescue kitties! I wanted to donate on the day you posted this, but I was waiting to donate on a funds-matching day over at IBKC (http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/) since it would essentially double the donation and do even more good. :-) I've never even been to Tacoma, but I follow this blog regularly because anyone who is doing so much to help out furry friends is proof that there is much good in the world, despite all the jackassery we hear about. Here's to goodness!!

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  10. Yay, rescue kitties! If there's one thing I miss about working at the SPCA, was taking a "kitten break" in the babies room! Good for you, Marcy!

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  11. I helped a lady fax some important papers so that she could get an apartment, and I opened the door for a lady at the pizza shop. Every day I will try. (And thank you for being kind and mailing me a thoughtful card.) LB

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