Somewhere along the way, we forgot about each other. :(
Maybe the world doesn't need more opinions, especially right now. Instead, I believe it needs more people helping people.
I remember a time when neighbors actually knew each other. I remember when someone got sick, people showed up with casseroles. I remember when a family fell on hard times, their community rallied around them. I rememeber when someone needed help moving, fixing a fence, or getting through a difficult season of life, people rolled up their sleeves and pitched in.
In those days, nobody needed a viral video or a pat on the back. People helped because someone needed help. It was literally that simple.
Of course, the world wasn't perfect back then, either. As a matter of fact, it was far from it. However, somewhere between the invention of the iPhone and our collective obsession with being connected to absolutely everything, I think we lost touch with something extremely important. Each other.
Today, we are bombarded with information from the moment we wake up until the moment we fall asleep. We are told what to think, what to believe, who to trust, who to fear, and what should make us angry. There is an entire industry built around keeping us outraged, divided, and glued to our screens.
News Flash, Fellow Humans: Fear, Hate, and discomfort sell. Apparently, people being decent human beings is simply not as profitable. Furthermore, people who know, respect, and appreciate their neighbors don't pick sides. If people aren't picking sides, nobody is controlling those sides. See where I'm going with this...?
If you believe everything you see on the news or social media, you probably think humanity is in a full-blown downward spiral. I see how one might think that. There are moments I question whether or not we even deserve a future.
Yet, those feelings, at least for me, are always fleeting. I am fortunate enough to see a very different story playing out right here in my own community. Similarly, I see it stronger than it's been in years in the community that raised me.
One of the things I love most about living in Parker, Colorado, is the sense of community. It is far from perfect, and certainly not every neighborhood or household is the same, but there are an awful lot of people here who genuinely care about one another and about our community. I am blessed with some amazing neighbors. They are the kind of neighbors who look out for each other, lend a hand when needed, and make living near one another something more meaningful than simply sharing a street address.
Through involvement with the Rotary Club of Parker, CO4NU, the Ladies of Parker, The Parker Insiders, the DBA, and other community initiatives and organizations, I have been blessed with the privilege of meeting some truly remarkable people in our community. These are people who give up their evenings and weekends to raise money for scholarships, support local families, organize events, and create opportunities for others. These people have demanding careers, families, responsibilities, and plenty of their own challenges, yet somehow they still make room for others.
These people come from different backgrounds, hold different beliefs, and certainly don't agree on everything (seriously, come to one of our "Bored Meetings." Yet, when there is work to be done or someone needs a hand, those differences often become remarkable unimportant. I have watched complete strangers become friends, competing businesses rally around meaningful causes, and people generously share their time, talents, and resources without expecting a thin in return.
As someone who is naturally more introverted than people might expect, putting myself out there hasn't always been comfortable. Yet, some of the most meaningful relationships and experiences in my life come from doing exactly that. The funny thing about giving back is how much you actually end up receiving. Perspective, gratitude, friendship, purpose...to name a few. A reminder there are still an awful lot of good people in this world. You simply have to get out of your own way and go meet them.
Keep in mind, community isn't always a given. Brad and I spend a lot of time in neighborhoods throughout the Denver metro area, and one thing we've noticed is how dramatically the sense of community can differ from one place to another. Some neighborhoods are buzzing with activity. Neighbors know each other, kids play together, people gather for block parties, and there is an undeniable sense of connection.
Other neighborhoods are much quieter. People come home, pull into their garages, close the doors, and go about their lives in private. We lived in one of these neighborhoods. Despite our best efforts, we couldn't change it.
Neither of these are inherently wrong. Not everyone wants to know their neighbors, attend community events, or have someone knocking on the door with a plate of cookies (Scott Hamling, I am not one of those people). Some people value their privacy and prefer to keep their social circles separate from where they live. That is perfectly fine.
However, if having a strong sense of community matters to you, it is something worth noting. Spend some time in the neighborhood. Visit a local event or two. Strike up a conversation with someone who lives there...be it while out for a walk around the neighborhood, at a local bar or restaurant, or standing in line at the grocery store. Get a sense of whether people interact, look out for one another, and take pride in the place they call home.
A beautiful house, great schools, and convenient location are wonderful. However, the people and relationships surrounding your home can have an enormous influence on your quality of life.
Remember this: A strong community does not happen by accident. It happens because people chose to participate.
Sometimes I wonder when we stopped showing up. I wonder whether we've become so consumed with what is happening everywhere else that we somehow forgot what's happening right outside our own front doors. We can spend hours arguing with strangers online about problems halfway around the world, while knowing virtually nothing about the people living down the street.
We share posts about kindness, compassion, and making a difference. We applaud inspirational stories and shake our heads at the state of society. Then, we put down our phones and go about our lives.
I am certainly guilty of getting caught up in all the noise, too. We all are, to some extent. The noise is loud and hard to totally tune out. Yet, imagine what might happen if we directed even a fraction of that energy toward actually helping someone. What if, instead of debating everything wrong with humanity, we spent more time demonstrating what is right with it. Novel idea, I know.
People helping people. It really does not have to be any more complicated than that.
Every one of you has more to give than you think. One of the things I love most about community involvement is that there is room for everyone. You don't need a big bank account, a fancy title, or an abundance of free time. You don't have to join a board, chair a committee, or organize a massive fundraiser.
Consider volunteering at a food bank, mentoring a student, fostering an animal, or helping an elderly neighbor with yardwork. Alternatively, you could donate to a cause close to your heart, coach a youth sports team, or support a family going through a difficult time. Maybe you would prefer to join an organization, share your professional expertise with a non-profit, support a local business, or create opportunities for people to connect.
Sometimes giving back is as simple as noticing someone who needs a little help and doing something about it. Some people can give money. Some people can give time, knowledge, connections, encouragement, or simply a listening ear. Every one of those contributions makes a difference in someone else's life. The important thing is finding something meaningful to you and making it part of your life. It doesn't have to be grand, and it certainly shouldn't become another obligation that leaves you exhausted and resentful.
A little kindness, consistently practice, can accomplish an extraordinary amount.
Hmmmmm maybe that's how we change the world. 🤔
There is another side to giving back that I believe deserves a little extra attention. It changes us.
When we work alongside people whose lives look different from ours, we gain perspective. We develop empathy, patience, humility, and an appreciation for challenges we may never personally experience. It is a lot harder to stereotype someone when you've spent a Saturday morning working beside them, laughing together, and discovering how much you actually have in common.
We build character by doing things that require us to think beyond ourselves. We build communities by investing in the people who live in them. We build trust by showing up, following through, and caring about something beyond our own interests.
Somewhere along the way, we will begin to change the narrative about humanity.
For every awful story dominating the headlines, there are countless people quietly doing wonderful things. They are delivering meals, raising money to support worthy causes, caring for animals, helping struggling families, mentoring children, and checking on their neighbors.
Most of them will never make the news. They are too busy making a difference. I don't believe we need to return to some romanticized version of the past. The past is behind us. Technology brought us incredible opportunities, and there are plenty of things about the good ol' days that weren't particularly good.
However, I believe there is something worth reclaiming from a time when community was less about an online following and more about the people who would show up when you needed them. We don't have to agree on everything. We don't have to share the same beliefs, backgrounds, or opinions. That would be...boring and exceptionally limiting. We don't even have to particularly like one another all the time. 🤯
Simply put, we have to remember that we are all human beings sharing this world, and life gets a whole lot better when we start acting like it. Maybe changing the world doesn't begin with changing everyone's mind. Instead, maybe it begins with changing how we treat one another. One neighbor. One kindness. One helping hand at a time.
I would love to see those stories make the ladlines a little more often.
