“Now is the time for all good men…”
(to care about, show concern, and be considerate of others.)
Think of it this way . . .
Here are some choice lyrics from a song in the movie “Paint Your Wagon” –
“God made the mountain, God made the sky,
God made the people, God knows why.
He fixed up the planet as best He could,
Then in come the people and gum it up good!”
As a child, I was my mother’s “little helper.” I’m not bragging because I some-times complained. Thing is, I’ve always considered myself the ‘Polly-Anna’ type: quick to befriend and offer help (part of my Boy Scout training, too). Scouting directed us to be “trustworthy, loyal and helpful; friendly, courteous and kind.” The Scout’s “Outdoor Code” is: “As an American, I will be clean, careful and considerate in the outdoors.” I think they wanted us to be that way indoors, too. I often wondered if I was helping in order to feel good about myself or for the accolades I hoped to get from others.
Some people have agendas (often hidden) – motivated by malevolent motives. F. D. Roosevelt wrote of others who “feel a kind of twisted pride in cynicism.” Then some of us are actually “looking for a few good men.” wouldn’t we dearly love to see more folks be truly concerned about a mutual regard for the feeling and needs of others… to be caring, concerned and considerate – like the public admonitions “Drive friendly” and “Watch out for the other person.”
If everyone tried to be more conscientiously considerate of others, wouldn’t this old world be a better place in which to work and play? Alas, my cynic side tells me this might be expecting too much of mere humans. The Bible says, “There is none righteous… everyone sins; we all fall short of God glorious standard.” (Rom 3:10,23) So, we read, “put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you… put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like Him.” (Col 3:5, 10) Oh, one more: “Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you.” (Col 3:13) We can work on it, right? Maybe get something started!
-John D.
