Daily news reports are full of local, national, and global issues begging for increased support of diversity but are sometimes presented from a standpoint of fear. Certainly we all would like to contribute to improved harmony but how to have an impact can seem elusive. Below are some timely, thought provoking, and practical ideas from Kay Stroud’s June 3 article in OnlineOpinion.com on how each of us can have a positive impact. Just the beginning of the article is below so be sure to click the link at the bottom to read it entirely.
Scientists have made a powerful discovery that appears able to improve everyone’s life. Reports indicate it works on individuals, families, communities, economies, and nations. Interestingly, it appears that too little of this substance may explain the coarsening of language and the hardening of hearts so evident in politics and the media. Lack of it also might be responsible for everything from substance abuse to the anxiety many people say they feel despite the unprecedented security, better health, and affluence the world is experiencing.
We see evidence of this love in quiet acts of empathy and encouragement demonstrated by carers from all walks of life. For instance, the guy in the queue at the supermarket checkout who steps up to pay the balance for the mother of two pre-schoolers who is caught short. Or the young female social media whiz who creates social change through her dedication to affirming the good while gently dismantling prejudice.
Then there’s the hospice chaplain offering simple words of comfort and walking a patient or family member through a process that aims to help them find meaning according to their own faith, or no faith.
Brotherly love, you could say, is at the heart of chaplaincy, pastoral care and spiritual services. But how widely do those professing a spiritual life have to cast their care?
