It’s amazing how – during the most trying times – the love people typically bury deep in their hearts shines through brightly.
Politics? Head to opposite corners and argue for 18 months why one candidate is a buffoon and the other is the perfect choice to lead us out of this malaise we’ve endured since the last guy took office.
Religion? One side: ‘The Bible is a bunch of made-up stories; why is there no historical evidence… oh, and what about evolution?’ The other: ‘It’s about having faith to believe in something you can’t see and is bigger than the brain can comprehend.’
Sports? “You’re blind, ref.” “Hey, quarterback: you stink.” “You won today’s game, but when you wake up tomorrow, you’ll still be a graduate of [insert university], and that will always suck.”
When there’s a disaster, though, people set aside these petty differences and graciously help those in need.
The first Farm Aid, with Willie Nelson and friends, raised $9 million in 1985 – and it’s still going strong. People contributed more than $200 million while watching America: A Tribute to Heroes, broadcast in 210 countries just 10 days after 9/11. A Houston Texans football star asked his Twitter followers to send money for Hurricane Harvey relief in 2017 and $37 million poured in to the JJ Watt Foundation.
A lot of vitriol spewed forth from many sides during the past year: mask or no mask… science vs politics… legitimate or fraudulent election. Then last week, the state of Texas endured its coldest temperatures in 30 years – and the power grid froze as solid as the ice that covered our freeways, leading to widespread blackouts.
Our house had no electricity for 43 hours and no running water for five days. Yet two miles away, some neighborhoods never had any issues. Once the roads cleared, friends in those areas offered to bring us food, provided drinking water and filled gallon jugs so we could flush toilets. People around the country called, texted or emailed to make sure we were safe. Clients reached out to see how we were doing.
My hope is one day it won’t take a monumental moment for humans to care deeply for others. Love is built into our DNA. We need to let it out more often.
