MAKING NOTHING OUT OF SOMETHING

Ferguson (MSNBC/Google Images)

Take an issue, any issue: dissect and inspect it, make observations, postulate theories, until there is nothing left but debris. That's the world as I see it. Parsing has become an obsession without providing substantive, proactive solutions. Solutions, how close the word is to resolutions. We can resolve to find a solution, but how often do we?

All right, I'll get to my point. People present a problem, e.g. on Twitter, but how often do they go out and try to fix it? For example, dismissiveness has become the norm in conversations. Person A might me driving their car when a truck suddenly pulls out in front of her/him. Person A reacts with: "Someone should take that driver off the road!" The truck has an 800 number on the back, but does Person A stop to call to file a complaint? No, instead when Person B the passenger in the car suggests calling, Person A replies: "You call them. I'm driving."

Already the incident of the reckless truck driver has been diffused as Person A passes the responsibility off to Person B. Person B resents being saddled with Person A's problem and says, "You're the one who's angry." And so on, until nothing happens.

"Better to concentrate on their driving" would be a typical reaction. But what if that truck driver were to go on and make a reckless left turn, ripping the passenger side off of a woman's car (with two children in the back seat) with the victim's car at a stop light? And the offender left the scene of the accident? (This paragraph example is a true story, no one was hurt).

A great story, Pay It Forward, by Catherine Ryan Hyde (published in 1999) shows us the wonder of how helping one person without expecting anything in return could change a community. I'd argue that people should also help prevent others from becoming victims by speaking out before one or more persons is hurt.

Not long ago, "Just do it!" became a familiar phrase to enable an individual to not hesitate, to be proactive. Oprah then Nike delivered the powerful message. How many actually listened? Unknown. It's true self-motivation helps. Nevertheless, helping your community by preventing crime (reasonably), abuse, near-fatal accidents, suicides, and other tragic events makes the world a better place for everyone.

The next step needs to be to stop the whining and make it happen. "Black Lives Matter," and the Climate Change Marches showed the world the huge obstacles that must be overcome regarding social justice and environmentalism. However, many have been daunted by the enormity of activism. They needn't be. All one man, woman, teenager or child needs to do is see or listen and act.