I do not often write to media types or what not, but recently I felt compelled to respond to Mark Morford's fabulous column. See it here:
http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2012/07/24/a-deadly-rampage/
Here's what I said:
Good morning Mr. Morford:
It does happen.
I thought I would let you know.
People snap and commit radical acts of kindness.
For example:
1. My cousin left her home despite having the flu, in order to pick up my children from day care in the middle of thunderstorm with a tornado warning, when I had been detained by an emergency.
2. Last year at a regional burning man event, a group of campers gifted a hammock the size of a Viking ship to a friend of mine, asking for nothing in return.
3. I leave love notes to strangers in library books so the next person that opens the book sees a message that says, You are beautiful, Dont be afraid, or You are SO loved.
4. The daughter of one of my coworkers helped women in a village in Africa obtain a computer and start selling the baskets they weave via the internet, greatly improving their quality of life.
5. One morning, when my family was out to breakfast, my father requested the check only to discover it had been paid. When he asked who paid it, a man approached him and said, You may not remember me, but several years ago you noted my car standing idle with the door open and stopped to look. You saw that I was in the backseat, that I had just been robbed and shot. You wrapped my wound in your shirt and took me to the hospital. I am alive today because of you. (My father is a retired Chicago Police Officer.)
6. A lovely lesbian couple lost everything in an apartment fire. Their friends, none of whom are particularly well off, held a benefit for them that raised more than $3,000, through burlesque performances, selling popsicles with naughty flavor-names, and auctioning erotic art.
7. My wife is a teacher. Her students at the end of last year made a scrapbook for her in which they wrote her messages about the tremendous positive impact she has had on their lives and telling her how much she has inspired them. Her thousands of radical acts of kindness yielded one in return, from a group of 11-year-olds.
8. At a restaurant a server expressed interest in a book I had with me. I left it with the tip and a note that indicated that it was for her, I hadnt just forgotten it.
9. A friend and I rescued a dog that was running through traffic during rush hour on a busy Chicago street. We chased it for five blocks, fed it, gave it a flea bath and took it to four shelters in two days, until we found one that promised not to euthanize it.
10. Someone I know was taught the appalling religious belief that we are all born naturally sinful, that all human beings are naturally depraved. We would debate this often. One day as the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approached we saw news footage of the rescue efforts. She wept for people she saw in that footage, the rescuers and the rescued. She was overcome with compassion for them. When I asked why she was crying, she said she was hurting for those people. When I asked how she forced herself to feel that way, she said she didnt understand what I meant, she didnt force herself to feel anything, these feelings welled up on their own. And I replied, Then THAT is your nature. Loving. Compassionate, concerned for the well being of others. That is your nature, and so it is with all of us. And so it is.
And these are just a few examples, and they are pulled only from my own little circle of family, chosen family, and acquaintances, many of whom are unmitigated freaks. But still, at least it all happened. Of course, none of this will make national news, and perhaps these are all little things. But they give me hope. Love still thrives in the human heart, and while its easy to believe that the earth could be crushed between the sweaty balls of Satan at any moment, we do have the power to hold darkness at bay. We can all be safe. We can all be loved. We can all love each other back. All we require is the will to make it so. This, more than anything, I believe.
Thank you again for another excellent column.
Jim
http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2012/07/24/a-deadly-rampage/
Here's what I said:
Good morning Mr. Morford:
It does happen.
I thought I would let you know.
People snap and commit radical acts of kindness.
For example:
1. My cousin left her home despite having the flu, in order to pick up my children from day care in the middle of thunderstorm with a tornado warning, when I had been detained by an emergency.
2. Last year at a regional burning man event, a group of campers gifted a hammock the size of a Viking ship to a friend of mine, asking for nothing in return.
3. I leave love notes to strangers in library books so the next person that opens the book sees a message that says, You are beautiful, Dont be afraid, or You are SO loved.
4. The daughter of one of my coworkers helped women in a village in Africa obtain a computer and start selling the baskets they weave via the internet, greatly improving their quality of life.
5. One morning, when my family was out to breakfast, my father requested the check only to discover it had been paid. When he asked who paid it, a man approached him and said, You may not remember me, but several years ago you noted my car standing idle with the door open and stopped to look. You saw that I was in the backseat, that I had just been robbed and shot. You wrapped my wound in your shirt and took me to the hospital. I am alive today because of you. (My father is a retired Chicago Police Officer.)
6. A lovely lesbian couple lost everything in an apartment fire. Their friends, none of whom are particularly well off, held a benefit for them that raised more than $3,000, through burlesque performances, selling popsicles with naughty flavor-names, and auctioning erotic art.
7. My wife is a teacher. Her students at the end of last year made a scrapbook for her in which they wrote her messages about the tremendous positive impact she has had on their lives and telling her how much she has inspired them. Her thousands of radical acts of kindness yielded one in return, from a group of 11-year-olds.
8. At a restaurant a server expressed interest in a book I had with me. I left it with the tip and a note that indicated that it was for her, I hadnt just forgotten it.
9. A friend and I rescued a dog that was running through traffic during rush hour on a busy Chicago street. We chased it for five blocks, fed it, gave it a flea bath and took it to four shelters in two days, until we found one that promised not to euthanize it.
10. Someone I know was taught the appalling religious belief that we are all born naturally sinful, that all human beings are naturally depraved. We would debate this often. One day as the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks approached we saw news footage of the rescue efforts. She wept for people she saw in that footage, the rescuers and the rescued. She was overcome with compassion for them. When I asked why she was crying, she said she was hurting for those people. When I asked how she forced herself to feel that way, she said she didnt understand what I meant, she didnt force herself to feel anything, these feelings welled up on their own. And I replied, Then THAT is your nature. Loving. Compassionate, concerned for the well being of others. That is your nature, and so it is with all of us. And so it is.
And these are just a few examples, and they are pulled only from my own little circle of family, chosen family, and acquaintances, many of whom are unmitigated freaks. But still, at least it all happened. Of course, none of this will make national news, and perhaps these are all little things. But they give me hope. Love still thrives in the human heart, and while its easy to believe that the earth could be crushed between the sweaty balls of Satan at any moment, we do have the power to hold darkness at bay. We can all be safe. We can all be loved. We can all love each other back. All we require is the will to make it so. This, more than anything, I believe.
Thank you again for another excellent column.
Jim