Let it begin with me!

Are you shocked by what has been happening in our world lately? Isn’t it enough that we have floods, hurricanes and earthquakes that destroy people? Now we have people who destroy innocent people. I (Lynn) must admit that when I heard the news of the senseless shootings in Las Vegas, I had tears streaming down my face. We want a more peaceful world.
Do you remember when the world felt safer? Do you remember when children could play outside and even go to the park and not worry about something bad happening? Doug and I remember those times.
Maybe I (Lynn) had an unusual view of the world. As a child growing up in a university community with all different races and nationalities, we all got along and cared about each other. After all, we all are people with hopes and dreams. Even though we may have different skin colors, we all have the same color blood. And Doug grew up in a farm community where neighbors cared for each other. If neighbors got sick and couldn’t work, other neighbors pitched-in and did the work for them. They found that, “Many hands make light work”.
We wonder, what can each of us do to make our neighborhood and the world a better and safer place? Here are some things that could be helpful. Let’s make families stronger, more supportive of each other and happier. Have meals together – without cell phones – and actually talk to each other. Keep close touch with friends and loved-ones even when distance keeps you apart. Let’s get to know each other as human beings who all have the capacity to feel and to love. When people hurt let’s try to comfort them like family members that we cherish. And for people in strife, help them to have forgiveness and understanding for each other. When we get to know people we can sense their fears, their hurts and their needs and help them through their challenges. Call a friend – even make a new friend. When we sense someone is not okay, do something about it to help that person. If you feel you can’t do anything, alert someone who can. We can’t imagine that someone didn’t see and report that the Las Vegas shooter definitely was not “okay”.
This reminds me of a flight to Florida that we were on before the 911 disaster. There was a man who just didn’t seem okay and he kept studying the plane from every angle. Our eyes connected and I smiled but he shot back a gaze of burning hatred. I mentioned to Doug that I should say something to the stewardess about his unusual intent study of the plane. I didn’t. Later we learned that some of the terrorists were trained in Florida. I wondered – was keeping quiet a mistake? While not being fearful, we still need to watch out for each other and for anything that seems “out of the ordinary”.
To get a sense of peace, we went to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. While we were there we asked some people to share their ideas on how we can have more caring for each other and promote peace.
We met Jensen Enz who told us, “My grandma is very inspired by my grandfather who is not doing so well. What keeps him going is that when he wakes up every morning he’s thankful for every day and he says, ’What good can I do today?’ and that keeps both of them healthy and [feeling] young and moving forward.”
Then we talked to Ross Koeberl who offered, “It’s important to share with the people around you. Tell them how much you appreciate what they do for you and how thankful you are. Then think of special ways you can pay those things back to them and show them love.”
Here’s a challenge: Many leaders ask people to put aside differences and to have unity. Let’s do that! You may think, “I am only one” – but you are one. If we all do our part to be more peaceful and caring, hopefully we can make a difference in our families, neighborhoods and also in the world. So often we want the change to start with someone else but we can only control ourselves. There’s a song titled Let There Be Peace on Earth. It ends with “…and let it begin with me”. We hope that you will say, “Let it begin with me”. Then commit to doing something to promote peace and make the world a better place for us all.

Chanhassen residents Doug and Lynn Nodland are Success Coaches and owners of The Balance Center. They can be contacted at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2017 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.