A Wake Up Call

Humans have a tendency to ignore the uncomfortable. If it isn't happening to us directly, we don't worry about it. Every now and then, a situation happens that is impossible to ignore. The situation is dire, the media jumps in, George Clooney organizes a telethon and we get involved. We get a collective wake up call!

In fairness, I must say I used to be one of those that had the "NIMBY" mentality. Poverty, homelessness...well, that didn't happen in my middle-class neighborhood. I am working, I have a comfortable home in a nice area in L.A. and a car. I don't have much to worry about. Then my brother got out of jail, was put in a half-way house with mental illness diagnosis and is currently living with no income. I was forced to deal with the fact that he needed help. I had to get rid of the notion that all homeless people are addicts and see that some of them really would like to become self efficent and just need the help to do so. I am not wealthy by any strech, but do what I can to help him. I discovered it feels good to help others.

Much like my brother's situation woke me up, high profile situations like the one in Haiti wake up others. With non stop news coverage and celebrities stepping in, the media is making it difficult if not nearly impossible to ignore the fact that we are being called on to help. It is human nature to want to get involved if everyone else is. It doesn't take much. You can donate by cel phone, credit card or even drop change in the jar at the market.

Helping others feels good! It takes us out of our immediate situation and makes us aware of the world around us. We just need to sometimes receive the call that points us in the right direction. Hopefully, the feeling won't just stop once Haiti fades from our TVs and magazines and we can help those around us. We need to think and act both globally and locally.