I’m tired of bad news and as a result I am very selective about what I read in the newspapers and I don’t watch news on television before I go to bed. Well let me clarify because I don’t want you to get the impression that I have my head in the sand. There’s a lot of news having to do with the economy and its impact on people we care about and that’s important to what we’re trying to accomplish at the foundation. The bad news I’m talking about is what I observe to be a growing trend to spotlight hate , violence, fear, and disrespect… You get it.
I guess this is on my mind today because I just returned from our second Women of Compassion award luncheon where we honored six extraordinary women who are making a real difference to lives of many, but who might otherwise go unnoticed. The stories ranged from feeding the hungry, empowering cancer survivors, educating our youth, advocating for the elderly, balancing college with social engagement and turning the tragedy of a lost child into a movement to cure brain tumors. Wow! And none of these women gave any indication that they thought what they had done was special.
Sometimes I think the only reasonable reaction to a world described in the “traditional” news is to lock our doors, distrust everyone and isolate ourselves from all the bad folks out there. What a different feeling I have from the event today. This “other” news left me inspired, empowered and ready to roll up my sleeves and do something for someone else.
I’ve heard the argument that “bad news sells” but I also know it doesn’t build community. Just knowing that for every honoree today there are probably hundreds of others doing great work to build up our County gives me hope. It’s too bad their stories aren’t told more often.
