A prize-winning author and fellow broadcaster, Studs Terkel, once said – “Heroes are not giant statues framed against a red sky. They are people who say: This is my community, and it is my responsibility to make it better.”
At no other time in history has it been as important as it is now for heroes like this to step up in our community. At one time in our nation’s history, apathy was a remedy for a sickness brought on by extenuating circumstances and harsh times. Apathy was a way for people to disconnect, and possibly keep their sanity. But just like any medication, apathy in large doses can lead to a downward spiral, and begin infecting those that had no intentions of being apathetic. It is a disease that we must consciously find a cure for, everyday.
Grace Lee Boggs, an activist, once said – “We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously.”
This is what we’re asking of you. Take action. No longer engage in the water-cooler talk of “did you see ‘they’ did this”, or “why don’t ‘they’ do something about it”. The insidious “they” that we often speak of, is simply us. If something needs to be done and doesn’t get done, it’s because we haven’t done it.
Anita Roddick once said – “I want to work for a company that contributes to and is part of the community. I want something not just to invest in. I want something to believe in.” I think this is a sentiment that is true for a lot of people. We want something to believe in. We want to be inspired. And stumbling upon a community that is united and strong is an inspirational thing.
Now, it may seem like I’m proposing we leave here tonight and do great things. While that would be ideal, I think the bigger, and more realistic, picture is for us all to leave here tonight feeling empowered to make the necessary changes in our community, in order for us to be proud of our community and for others to see our community through our eyes. This sort of pride is just as infectious as the negativity of apathy.
Winston Churchill once said – “You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.” And Tom Brokaw once said – “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”
It’s important to note that reversing the trend of decline will not be easy, but it may be the most important, and fulfilling, thing you do – aside from raising your children. But they go hand in hand. Don’t you raise your children with a certain amount of community pride, or lack thereof?
Join the Do It Local campaign and strengthen the community that you love. Sandra Day O’Connor once said – “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone. And whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.”
Take the first step. And with each additional step, experience the growing fulfillment of knowing you’re a part of something big, a part of something that says – “We will not go quietly into the night. We will not be defeated, nor will we defeat ourselves.” And all it takes is making a commitment to Do It Local.
~Josh Mackey 7.7.10
At no other time in history has it been as important as it is now for heroes like this to step up in our community. At one time in our nation’s history, apathy was a remedy for a sickness brought on by extenuating circumstances and harsh times. Apathy was a way for people to disconnect, and possibly keep their sanity. But just like any medication, apathy in large doses can lead to a downward spiral, and begin infecting those that had no intentions of being apathetic. It is a disease that we must consciously find a cure for, everyday.
Grace Lee Boggs, an activist, once said – “We can begin by doing small things at the local level, like planting community gardens or looking out for our neighbors. That is how change takes place in living systems, not from above but from within, from many local actions occurring simultaneously.”
This is what we’re asking of you. Take action. No longer engage in the water-cooler talk of “did you see ‘they’ did this”, or “why don’t ‘they’ do something about it”. The insidious “they” that we often speak of, is simply us. If something needs to be done and doesn’t get done, it’s because we haven’t done it.
Anita Roddick once said – “I want to work for a company that contributes to and is part of the community. I want something not just to invest in. I want something to believe in.” I think this is a sentiment that is true for a lot of people. We want something to believe in. We want to be inspired. And stumbling upon a community that is united and strong is an inspirational thing.
Now, it may seem like I’m proposing we leave here tonight and do great things. While that would be ideal, I think the bigger, and more realistic, picture is for us all to leave here tonight feeling empowered to make the necessary changes in our community, in order for us to be proud of our community and for others to see our community through our eyes. This sort of pride is just as infectious as the negativity of apathy.
Winston Churchill once said – “You make a living by what you get, but you make a life by what you give.” And Tom Brokaw once said – “It’s easy to make a buck. It’s a lot tougher to make a difference.”
It’s important to note that reversing the trend of decline will not be easy, but it may be the most important, and fulfilling, thing you do – aside from raising your children. But they go hand in hand. Don’t you raise your children with a certain amount of community pride, or lack thereof?
Join the Do It Local campaign and strengthen the community that you love. Sandra Day O’Connor once said – “We don’t accomplish anything in this world alone. And whatever happens is the result of the whole tapestry of one’s life and all the weavings of individual threads from one to another that creates something.”
Take the first step. And with each additional step, experience the growing fulfillment of knowing you’re a part of something big, a part of something that says – “We will not go quietly into the night. We will not be defeated, nor will we defeat ourselves.” And all it takes is making a commitment to Do It Local.
~Josh Mackey 7.7.10
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