Some of us may be profoundly discouraged about the world we
think we know. So many of our media news sources are relentlessly filled
with stories of natural disaster, grinding poverty, war and death. It is
hard not to be drawn into this negativity. Bad news is news!
Good news doesn't sell newspapers as well. Therefore, it may be hard for
us to realize that in many ways the world is becoming a better place.
Nicholas Kristof, a columnist for The New York Times, reports
that fewer children worldwide are starving or dying of disease now than at any
time in recorded history, and that more children are in school. Kristof
continues ---- "In impoverished Haiti, health care shows basic
improvements. More than four out of five Haitian children get some
childhood immunizations. De-worming is now widespread. In the old days, these
kids would be dead."
In 1970, columnist Kristof tells us, almost 25% of Haitian
children died before their fifth birthday. At last count, however, the
figure was just 7%. Compare this with 15 years ago; now, one fewer child
dies each hour.
"As families grow confident that their children will
survive," says Kristof, "they also have fewer of them. In 2005,
the average woman in Haiti could be expected to have five children. Now
the figure is about three births per woman."
As we think about these positive trends and examples of
progress in the world, several things may come to mind. First, it took
joint efforts by the U.N., many governments and numerous not-for-profit
organizations, engaging large numbers of people, to make these positive
"macro" changes happen.
Secondly, they did not happen overnight. Indeed, some
worthy attempts at concerted positive change were failures, and many succeeded
only because of long-term efforts. Indeed, sometimes it took years
before substantial progress was seen.
The issues were not just about funding. Often, the
changes required in people and their cultures met strong resistance. This
resistance had to be overcome, and that often took time and skill. But,
in the last analysis, it would seem that the change "lubricant" most
often successful was people-to-people relationships ----- not distant
bureaucracy. It was people teaching each other, encouraging each other,
and working side by side.
Well, is there a lesson for you and me in this? I
don't know about you, but I cannot take off a year to go work on a health
project in Haiti. But, if I stay home, are there any other ways I can
bring some HOPE to some forgotten people in 2016?
Of course! You know I am going to say to you that
there are some ways. But, that YOU must find them, efforts specifically
meaningful for yourself. All I can do is offer some suggestions on how to
make your "helping" time most HOPE inspiring.
Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned in
attempting to bring some HOPE to others, especially to strangers in need, is
that satisfying this goal is not a "one-shot" proposition.
Several years ago, when I became a weekly volunteer at
Runnells Hospital in Berkeley Heights, several of us visited mainly on the
first floor. The Hospital termed these patients "sub-acute,"
because usually they were there for physical therapy after hip or knee
replacements. So, after about 4 or 5 weeks these patients would be
discharged home and we would not see them again. We would have had some
nice conversations, hopefully relieving some of the tedium of a hospital stay,
but at 20 or so minutes per chat each week, we were not really doing much to instill
HOPE. We would have needed time to build a relationship, in order for
deeper conversations.
At some point, we discovered that a number of patients on
the first floor, for whatever reason, occupied rooms that would be theirs for
the rest of their lives! Some had outlived their families, others had
working families, or children who lived some distance from Runnells, so their
visits to see the family member were infrequent and hectic. We made a
point of spending regular time with these "long-term" patients.
Gradually, some beautiful things began to happen. Not
only did they begin to tell us how much they looked forward to our visits, but
we discovered that under that thin guise of their age and infirmity, they were
interesting people, proud to share their feelings, frustrations and hopes for
the future.
These long-term relationships began developing several years
ago, and they have grown richer each year that passes, for all of us.
Some of our Runnells friends have died in the meanwhile, but it gives us a warm
feeling to recall many happy times with them, and the satisfaction of perhaps having
brought some HOPE to their final days.
This "seeding" of HOPE does not require one to be
a Runnells volunteer! But it does require intentional long-term
effort ---- not just one-shot conversations or one-shot charitable
projects. Interestingly, it also had required long-term effort to bring
such wonderful HOPE to Haiti, as described earlier in this story.
The long-term "seeding" of HOPE in others is
satisfying to the giver, too. Sometimes we may feel a little negativity
about the first visit ---- don't we have many other things to do instead of
this?? If one passes this test, however, it gets easier and easier to
feel the personal satisfaction of "seeding" HOPE in others.
May you in your new year bring some HOPE to others,
as we all try to make the world a better place in 2016 ---- even for one person
at a time. It's your move!
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These thoughts are brought to you by the Adult Spiritual
Development Team at CPC, hoping to encourage your personal spiritual growth
this winter.
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