http://medford.patch.com/groups/joe-vigliones-blog/p/surving-tragedies-and-random-acts-of-human-kindness---part-i
The "tipping point" in science fiction dramas is the place where the critical moment arrives. The human race comes together to get beyond the dilemma, or it faces total annihilation. The threat of total annihilation sometimes pushes the race to extraordinary measures to survive. That what does not kill you makes you stronger.
Malaysia Airlines Flight #370 is a tragedy.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/flight-370-search-for-missing-malaysia-airlines-plane-widened-intensifie...
239 missing people means at least a couple of thousand grieving friends and family members. The impact on immediate family is unspeakable. Part of life is that we are all touched by death, and how we personally deal with loss is, to some degree, dependent on our own individual constitution and emotional support from sources known and unknown.
Hebrews 13:2 comes in handy here:
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares
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Not to suggest that we all jump on a plane and go to Malaysia and help out with the search. In this new age of the internet there are more useful, and less time-consuming, potentials. "Time consuming" because some people try to do the right thing, have the best of intentions, and jumping on an airplane to get to ground zero (which, admittedly, is not known to us at this point in time) is not as efficient as simply praying for those in distress half a world away.
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Years and years ago we had a group meeting on the north shore. Someone brought in a puzzle-like picture in fragments that needed to be put back together. It was the face of a man. When you put the man's face together and turned the page over you had also put together a picture of the entire world.
Looked up a similar article on this idea and found this link:
PUT THE MAN BACK TOGETHER
http://mattslaw.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/put-the-man-back-together/
I’m not passionate about much, but I am passionate about personal growth. I’m a firm believer in changing the world through changing the individual. But the only individual that I have complete responsibility and control over is myself.
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” – Leo Tolstoy
Citizens have an obligation to wake up the sleeping masses. As we have to work daily to improve ourselves, thereby improving our lives, we also have a civic duty, an obligation, to speak up within our city and our town, not comments by lazy aliases on the web, but showing some integrity, going up to the podium stating your name, address, looking the public in the eye, and telling a city councilor why he might not deserve a raise, why an empty storefront needs attention, why a crosswalk somewhere needs to be painted, why the promise of access tv or a sports team needs to be kept, or why two councilors bragging about their charity work - both calling themselves president and vice president - is not appropriate.
Matthew 6:2
“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.
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A colleague who also speaks out to improve our city called and told me about a lengthy e mail that individual had sent out quoting scripture. Very coincidental because we didn't check our notes till after the fact. It was about those parading their "charity" on their sleeves. The last person who flagrantly did that is now up on charges of a false bomb threat. Real charity at work. Not. They brag about what they do for this one, what they do for that one, and they are quick to throw stones at people who roll up their shirtsleeves and do the CIVIC duty that they fail to do.
Pointing out the need for civic duty is a LOT different than bragging about the three dollars you put in the collection box at church. There's also a problem WITH that collection box in church, but money seems to mean more today than the words of Jesus:
Matthew 21:12
And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
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The collection box at church, where everyone can see the donations, the "charity" - is in direct conflict with scripture. But we see what they did to Jesus for being so bold as to point out the obvious.
______________________________________________________Now, this essay is about surviving tragedy, and noting that tragedies in a big, big world happen just about every second of every day. Why do we have to wait for a "tipping point" like 9/11 to all come together in a spirit of harmony?
Remember the two weeks after 9/11...my God, the CHARITY at work that was sincere, real, and wasn't bragging. It was tangible, it was so real that you could touch it. People were opening doors for other people, strangers were talking to other people (and not on Match.com - or for kitties and doggies, not on Scratch.com, the latter being a joke, of course. )
After the tragedy of 9/11 people came together. It was a real "tipping point." And the trail was not that long. Within a month people were back to what they were doing today, one livery driver on the phone nearly running me over at the mall where pedestrians have the right of way (you can HEAR the cheers from Malden to Medford, can't ya?) - people on the highway thinking it is "bumping cars" at the amusement park.
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Back in 2000 to about 2002 I wrote book reviews, biographies and other essays for an established company. biographies and such. Must have reviewed about 60-80 books in that three year period, a little over 25 a year perhaps. One autobiography that struck me was Marie Osmond's. OK, it's obvious, in an autobiography the word "I" is essential, but there's also the notion every good editor knows about wearing out one's welcome with the references to one's self. The estimate was that Osmond referred to herself about 24 times per page. It was so self-important that it took away from the good parts of Marie's life, and the regrettable moments of her depression. If it was therapy, good for her, but don't bore your public with it. Have a good editor re-read and stop the self-centered attitude that George Harrison identified in his wonderful song from the Let It Be album, "I, Me, Mine" (also the title of his autobiography.)
NOT AS TALENTED AS MARIE OSMOND, BUT MORE SELF-CENTERED
There's currently an article on the Medford Patch where the writer refers to herself 26 times. Of course a good psychologist would say that individual probably has MORE low self-image than Marie Osmond and its probably a cry for help. Therapists, go to this link and maybe you'll have some new business for yourselves (plural):
http://medford.patch.com/groups/julie-the-jarheads-blog/p/wellbehaved-women-seldom-make-history-part...
Karen Carpenter would be appalled.
On Patch this writer was attacked from out of the blue by a board member of a TV station where my show is aired. Now, in a perfect world, board members understand the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That anyone on public access has a First Amendment right to talk to the man on the street or an A-list actress or actor. Board members are there to facilitate programming, not to attack or promote politicians (that would violate the Internal Revenue Code 501c3's have to abide by) and certainly not to abuse those giving good content to the station.
But some individuals have a need to throw rocks at someone they never met and never had a beef with. Maybe a good shrink would call it unscrupulous, or maybe the good psychiatrist would see why that woman finds a need to put men down frequently in her writings.
The bottom line is this. People have vanished in Malaysia, tragedies happen every day, and random acts of human kindness do more - especially if done in secret - than throwing rocks at people when they have their own situations to deal with, and then writing nonsense promoting the culprit, herself, as "well behaved." Well behaved people don't have to brag about it. They don't have the guilty conscience that the rock thrower, obviously, has. You see, there's a code of conduct in the military and in life. If a president of a non-profit tells you not to attack a man, and if you were in the military and ignore the order of your commanding officer in real life, on the 501c3, then you are insubordinate.
If that which does not kill you makes you stronger, this writer (and apologies for the self-reference) must be Iron Man at this point.
Not recognizing the insubordination is another problem which we will attempt to identify in Part II of this civil discussion. TO BE CONTINUED