Hard Times, Good Deeds?

Seems to me that back in the day, when folk's fell on hard times, there were others that were there to help. Fast forward to today, with the fall of the almighty dollar and high unemployment. Are people treating each other better or is everyone out for themselves?

I see on the news, just in the past week where celebrities and politicians are just plain behaving badly. These people are supposed to be role models. We put them in the spotlight and keep them there so we can emulate them. We want to be them. How do we justify their success if they behave like your red-headed three year old? Does it make us want to be more, to be better, or are we justified to act like idiots too?

It makes me sad. All week long I've been in a funk. I think this is why. I see the world changing in ways that I never imagined when I was a child. I do believe there is good in everyone. Some more than others, if given the chance. I also believe that the good in people can also be depleted if given enough hard blows.

In the end it's the action, not the people themselves, who make the change from good to bad. Think about it. Anyone could run on stage and yell at a music singer and make her cry. She did the right thing by shrugging it off. Any tennis player could have thrown a fit (and a racket) at a ref, but then what did the ref do? Did they go home and feeling bad lash out at someone else or did they shrug and let it go? And the guy who yelled at the president... Well, everyone wants him to keep apologizing, but telling someone to say they're sorry doesn't mean they are. Let's face it, as an adult you're not going to learn it by saying it. Let it go. Next time maybe he won't get picked for team and he'll learn what he needs to do to make it right.

There is a silver lining. In the end it's STILL action that makes the change. When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. It's still true today as it was years ago. It's something I need to keep in my head at all times. This week really was a let down for me in terms of human behavior, but I know now that just because they're in the spotlight doesn't make them the majority. The majority of Americans still want to live in a way that would make their parent's proud.

So do I.