walkingman

I have a voice and on occasion I am known to use it. I am not afraid to speak up or shout when there is something which I view as unjust, bad policy, or simply wrong. I will never be counted among those who do not give a damn, those who are apathetic, those who are too self-absorbed to care about anything or anyone except themselves, the silent majority or minority, or those who just go along to get along. I was taught to think for myself and to have an opinion. I was taught that I should care about others and the issues of the world. I know that at times there is a little Don Quixote inside me as I run off tilting at windmills but I would rather try and fail then never to have tried. It is so easy to turn a blind eye to the tragedy and misery that goes on around us on a daily basis. It can overwhelm us if we let us. Yet the fact that there is so much pain means that we cannot ignore it. I may not be able to clean up the whole world but I should be able to improve my small section of this planet if even for one minute. I am not looking to make great sweeping changes. I am just looking for small simple changes. My plans and my goals are simple. It is just like with walking, one step at a time, one foot forward at a time. I cannot help 6 billion people but I can start with one of these 6 billion. Give up Starbucks once a week and donate the money you save to a homeless shelter. Drink one less soda a week and donate the money you save to a food bank. Instead of a night of clubbing donate that money to an animal shelter. Or do something crazy like a random act of kindness. Help someone in your building carry groceries up or laundry down. Hold the elevator for someone who is rushing towards it. Let the person behind you in line with only one item ahead of you. Or here is a big one. Listen to the next person who talks to you. Ignore the cell phone. Do not check the texts, the tweets, the bells, the whistles. Just converse with the person with whom you are talking. They maybe reaching out for someone to listen but we are too busy multitasking that we fail to understand what they are communicating. I speak loud and you will hear my voice. There are others who voices are not so loud. They are timid and their voices will be drowned out in all the noise around them. Yet we should not ignore them. It is so easy to get wrapped up in our own hectic lives and to miss the great people living near us. We have to get involved because these people matter too. I love to meet new people and make new friends. We may not always see eye to eye on politics, religion, abortion, taxes, war, peace, love, hate, euthanasia, suicide, gun control, pot, corporal punishment, capital punishment, etc. but I love the fact that we can have a dialogue, a free exchange of ideas. In the coming days and weeks I will post many blogs. If I strike a nerve fill free to post a comment. If I write something that moves you please tell me so. If I anger you then let me know as well. If you think we could be friends send me a friend request. If you think I am full of shit, let me know it as well.