With everything that has been going on with the pandemic and around the world lately, I often find myself wondering what my grandparents and even parents would think of the way it’s turning out. Back in my grandparents day, they didn’t even hesitate to help a neighbor, a friend and most of the time, a total stranger.
I remember a story about my great grandfather on Sunday’s would fix a big meal and then go down the street and wait for a family that didn’t have much and invite them to share it with them. They couldn’t eat until they had another family to share it with. This was every Sunday no matter what. My other set of great grandparents fed 9 kids and still gave to others. Even both of my grandparents gave and they didn’t have much at all for themselves.
Where has our compassion gone, our ability to want to help others, our sympathy for those less fortunate than ourselves. It seems that all we think about anymore is ourselves. I’m sure that is not the way most of us were brought up. We weren’t brought up on greed and selfishness, on hatred, to just want for ME and no one else.
What has happened to our need to want to work for what earned. That used to be a sense of accomplishment, to say “I worked hard and saved for” whatever it was that you desired. Now it just seems that we think we are entitle to have everything and not work at all for it.
I know this may sound extremely outdated but maybe we need to get back to that simpler time and forget about what the Jones’ or the Smiths’ have. Work for what YOU want and not what you think you have to have to keep up with or do better than the next person.
When I was growing up, we knew all our neighbors by name, would get together with them now and then to just visit. We’d play with their kids all day without benefit of a cell phone or video game or the internet or cable. We knew where we could go and when to be home and we would do it. Your neighbors also knew that if you were doing something you weren’t supposed to, they could tell you to stop without wondering if they were going to get shot or have the police called for child abuse.
Smile or say good morning to someone you pass whether that be on the street, your neighbor or in the store. Try walking in someone else’s shoes and then see how bad your life really is, try not to be so critical of someone else because they aren’t like you. Try to be more tolerant of others, maybe they are just having a bad day and aren’t out to make yours the same way. Smile instead, you might be surprised with a smile back!