Be a Better Human

If we, as a collective whole, decide to be better humans and reach out our hands to help instead of harm, in friendship instead of animosity and in respect instead of disdain –
 just imagine what would happen
~J.V. Manning

Lately, I have been disgusted with the human race. Really disheartened by all the horrible things I've seen on the news, read in the papers or viewed online. My emotions have run the gamut; from angry to sickened to feeling hopeless. It doesn't matter where you live, who you are or how much money you have in the bank - the bad is everywhere and it feels like its winning.

We, as in the human race, need to get our shit together. Seriously. 

Accusations and blame being thrown around. No one wanting to accept responsibility for their own actions. Everyone is righteous, everyone is right and everyone else is wrong. Everything is everyone else's fault. It's a race thing, a political thing, a economical thing - it's his fault, hers, theirs. Blame the media, politicians, governments and the Kardashians. Blame. Blame. Blame. 

In a neverending vicious cycle. 

We can blame the media all we want, but if we didn't give them stories they would have nothing to report. If we behaved better as humans, their coverage would have to reflect that. But we aren't. We are giving them footage and stories because, as a whole, we're a mess. It's overwhelming to watch the news every night and realize with brutal clarity, not one corner of the world is doing it entirely right. In fact, most are doing it so wrong that I am surprised life hasn't come to a complete standstill.

I ask myself over and over; what can I do to make it better?

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I refuse to hide and go about my day thinking of sunshine, rainbows and puppies when the world is in such chaos. I will take the good and the bad because that's life. But, I've been feeling such frustration as to what to do  to try and make it better. I could take to a soap box and shout vitriol to the masses, but there are too many people talking over each other as it is and all they seem to be doing is going in circles. There are those who are literally burning down cities or banding together to stop traffic on major freeways and while making headlines, sure, they aren't solving a damn thing, in fact, all these actions are doing is creating more hostility and anger. While people have every right to be angry, creating more anger is not the way to change things. I could run for political office, however if I want to actually get something done - heading to Washington probably isn't the way to go.

So, what then? What can one person do to change the world? I ask myself this all the time.

Yesterday, while drinking my coffee I got my answer. I'd heard about a video that was circulating around Facebook about a flash singing mob at a Hannaford grocery store in Bangor, Maine. My husband works for Hannaford, so my interest was piqued - who sings while grocery shopping? I sure as hell never do. I tracked down the video thinking I would get a good chuckle to start my day. What I got was so much more.

I got the answer I was looking for.

A man named Roosevelt, wearing giant headphones, appeared to be singing to himself while looking at a pretzel display. People were gawking at him just singing out loud, thinking he didn't realize what he was doing. Only he did. So did a few others. Others, who one-by-one, joined in. Next thing you know, people are clapping, dancing AND singing along. Why? Because they felt it, they wanted to be a part of it. Roosevelt sang; "This Little Light of Mine." And SHINE it he did.

Credit: Irie on Facebook

I sat at my kitchen table, holding my coffee, watching this video, tears streaming down my face. This one man - brought together strangers at a grocery store, simply by putting himself out there and letting it go. No one cared what color you were. No one cared where you lived, what you looked like, if you were broke or wealthy, sinner or saint - No.One.Cared. They stopped, they felt and they sang, danced, clapped and cheered. All because one man decided to shine his light at a grocery store.

Faith in humanity - restored.

This world is in desperate need of humans who pay attention. Humans who see beyond themselves and out to a world who needs them. It doesn't have to be grand gestures, it can be small acts that no one will see except the one who experiences your light. Change doesn't start with politicians, celebrities or experts. Change starts inside each and every one of us. It starts within us.

There will always be broken people in this world, hell-bent on doing harm and causing strife. There will always be extremists and fanatics trying to remake the world in their perceived "right way." But there will always be the Roosevelts, too. The Earth Angels who put as much good out into the world, good we rarely hear about, simply because they can.

Imagine if every single person on this planet stopped what they were doing and sang along with Roosevelt. Then, afterwards, went about their days shining that light onto every soul they came across, for no other reason other than because they could. We all have the power to change the world and though I will never subject people at the grocery store to my singing, I will stop and help an elderly person load their groceries, I will smile at strangers and I will pay attention to those people I encounter everywhere I go. There are opportunities every day to put good out into this world and it will ripple out into ways we could never imagine.

We just have to wake up every day and love humanity with everything we have - even if the only humanity we encounter is fellow grocery shoppers, gas pumpers and coffee shop patrons we come across during our day - change starts with us being better humans.

Brian Andreas said; “Anyone can slay a dragon, but try waking up every morning and loving the world all over again. That's what takes a real hero."

Don't become so disillusioned with the world that you forget your place in it. Stop seeing people as what they are and see them for who they are. Everyone deserves a place on this rotating ball we call home. We all do. Regardless of race, creed, status or lifestyle.

We all deserve to be here.

Each and every one of us can be better humans and together, we can change things. By respecting others. By allowing people to be just as they are. None of us have a right to deem someone else unworthy because they are different than we are. If we, as a collective whole, decide to be better humans and reach out our hands to help instead of harm, in friendship instead of animosity and in respect instead of disdain – just imagine what would happen

Be a better human.

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