Is your message anchored with “making GOOD things happen”?
I just received a forwarded message with photos of the 25’ of snow that turned North Dakota in a vast white sea, with even higher waves of solid white water. The message celebrated the spirit of the people – everyone doing what they could to help – on their own. They were united in making good things happen – taking in stranded strangers, using whatever equipment they had to help, searching for folks trapped in vehicles.
The story itself was amazing and inspiring. Yet it was contaminated and diminished by the political viewpoints strewn between stunning photos. (Appropriately, these were even printed in red.) This is a common situation with many such emails – a good point/story turned into a political weapon. It can be a not-so-cleverly disguised, psychologically abusive tactic. It leaves a bad taste in the spirit. Absent that ulterior motive, the misguided effort to use it for political venting, it would have remained the extraordinarily Green story it truly was.
I grew up in on a farm in Iowa and experienced the same selfless spirit in countless situations. A few years ago, an over the100-year-level flood hit my home territory – followed in a couple weeks by a killer tornado. People came from across the state and beyond to help in all kinds of ways. Even those with devastating losses were out helping others. Self-reliance, a caring, ACTION-oriented style drove them. It was a politics-free, agenda-free, heart-driven endeavor.
GO! Create more Green Light signals. Marilyn Schoeman