|
|
A grand experiment in giving"...For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."--Luke 12:48 (New King James Version.) Autumn is a celebrated time in the rural community. It's a time of harvest, of reaping the rewards of a summer of hard work and dedication. Farmers are bringing in the fall crops, and ranchers are weaning the latest crop of calves. Hunters are out in full force, ensuring that the deer and dove populations thrive for another season. Fall is a time for us to gather and give thanks for the many blessings we've received. We celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and family and tables heaped with food, and it's a great holiday. One of my top three, actually. But lately I've been thinking that maybe we get the message of Thanksgiving all wrong. Maybe instead of being grateful for all the blessings we receive, maybe we should be thankful for all the blessings we're able to bestow upon others. Afterall, to whom much is given, much is expected. We've been given so much in rural America. We have the bountiful beauty of nature at our backdoors. We have smaller schools that allow our children to thrive and prosper and develop their talents. We have neighbors who truly care about each other. And, we have a spirit of giving like no other. We all hear the horror stories coming across the news. The crime that seems never-ending, the stories of pain and sorrow caused by selfishness and greed. It's amazing the harm humans can do to one another. If there was ever a time for a revolution, for good people to stand up and fight back with decency, it is now. That's why, this November, I want to ask each of you a favor. I'd like for you to take a minute out of your day, or week and consciously do a random act of kindness for someone else. They can be a friend, or a stranger, or even an enemy. The act can be as big as helping a sick neighbor bring in his cotton harvest, or as small as paying the tab for the car behind you in the drive-through. Make a game out of it with your family, to see who can do the most random acts of kindness in a day, or which one is bigger than the rest. Share stories of your random acts at your morning coffee bull sessions at the co-op. Get your community groups in on the act. It's not going to be easy. People today aren't used to the feeling of kind hands helping them up instead of slapping them down. You'll get stares, and questions, and maybe even misplaced hostility. You might even ask, just how much change one person can do. That's okay, though, because this little experiment isn't about making you feel good. It's about making our world even the tiniest bit better. Consider that High Plains Journal and Midwest Ag Journal go out to more than 50,000 subscribers each week. So, let's say 50,000 households get the paper and read this column. Those households average about four readers each, so that's 200,000 readers who have this idea in their minds. If each of those 200,000 readers do one act of kindness for seven days--just one week--that's 1.4 million acts of kindness happening in the High Plains. If they each do one act a day for a full year, 72.8 million random acts of kindness. That's not even accounting for the compounding acts, those people who are inspired by a reader to do their own acts, who in turn inspire others, and so on. Imagine what a change that could make in our part of the world, how many lives could be touched. To whom much is given, much is expected--are you ready to fulfill your expectations? Jennifer M. Latzke can be reached by phone at 620-227-1807, or by e-mail at jlatzke@hpj.com. If you have a story about your random act of kindness to share, send it in. We'll compile them into a list for a future issue. 11/5/07 Date: 10/30/07
Copyright/Privacy
Copyright 1995-2008. High Plains Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Any republishing of these pages, including electronic reproduction of the editorial archives or classified advertising, is strictly prohibited. If you have questions or comments you can reach us at High Plains Journal 1500 E. Wyatt Earp Blvd., P.O. Box 760, Dodge City, KS 67801 or call 1-800-452-7171. Email: webmaster@hpj.com |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
