DAY 50 – KEY ASPECT: EVERYONE MATTERS

I am shoveling snow after a major storm. My neighbor across the street comes over to help me even though he didn’t finish shoveling his property. He has done this every time it has snowed since he moved into his home five years ago.

This man, his wife and fifteen year old twins do a lot of volunteer work in the community. A few years ago a couple on the other side of town lost their home in a fire and this family organized a fundraiser for them. After a hurricane ravaged an island they collected food, clothing and toys and personally took it to the island to distribute it where it was needed.

It is easy to go out of one’s way for the people we love and care about. It says something else when that caring occurs with acquaintances and complete strangers. What it says is that everyone matters and that our loving actions are not limited to one’s own family or the group each of us belongs to.

When everyone matters we simply think of each and every human being as part of the human family. We do not distinguish anyone as separate and distinct from one another but just people who deserve a better life with fewer problems. While we give a majority of our time to our loved ones and friends, a mentality that everyone matters will enable us to find time to carve out moments in our routine to lend a helping hand to those in need.

Humanity lives on a round planet. The borders that separate us is not the demarcation line that separates nations but the thoughts that run through our minds that certain people are the “others”. With such a mentality each group is the “other” group to someone and each person is the “other” person to a whole lot of people. Every human being would matter and everyone would be better off if we got rid of the label “other”.

While talking to my neighbor, I now realize that all of us become part of the human family when we consider everyone just as important as we do the people we love and care about. Valuing every human being for just being human creates the underpinnings for a better world.