IS YOUR HEART COLD? CHANGING YOUR LIFE WITH WORDS - DAY 174

The world has changed.  The United States of America has changed.  The people of our cities and towns have changed.  More and more I notice that good manners are disappearing from the landscape of our neighborhoods.  Now I am aware when I smile and greet a stranger they may not return the smile or the greeting, and their eyes are cold.  The homeless population continues to increase, and for many it is through no fault of their own.

Too many people are unemployed.  Too many people are one paycheck or serious illness away from being out on the streets. There is insufficient help for those who are homeless and especially for the mentally ill. There is more assistance for those addicted to drugs and/or alcohol than for the most vulnerable who have mental and emotional problems.  Even for those who are normal before being forced to live on the streets, the ravages of time and hardship can cause them to become mentally unstable.

We seem to have our priorities backwards.  Athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and CEO's command and receive extraordinary incomes, but our military personnel, policemen, firemen, nurses, teachers and  others who serve us have to make do with so much less.  When was the last time an athlete, actor, singer, CEO or politician saved a life?  Which children other than their own received a good education courtesy of an athlete, actor, singer, politician or CEO?  We willingly give our money to support the athletes, actors, singers, politicians, and companies headed by CEO's...........but what do we do for those who truly serve the more important purposes?  What do we do for those who are the least among us?

Do you know how many homeless people there are in your city, town or community?  Do you know how many homeless children are enrolled in your public schools?  Do you know how many resources or facilities there are in your area for people in need?  If your answer to any of these questions is "no" then make it a point to obtain that information.  If the resources are insufficient what can you and your neighbors do to change that?  The mental hospitals and sanitariums are no more.  For some homeless drugs and alcohol are not addictions but rather self-numbing devices against the pain of having no where to go and no one to help.

If your heart is cold or has grown cold ask God to

IGNITE YOUR HEART!

Love, Sweet Love

Back in the late 60's or early 70's there was a song with lyrics that said, "What the world needs now is love, sweet love.  It's the only thing that there's just too little of..................."  Yesterday I was speaking with my daughter who lives in Manhattan.  Because of the recent tragedy at the Empire State Building we talked of  many things:

• the insanity in today's world, 
• the senseless crimes, 
• the red flags that are ignored which could prevent tragedies,
• the rage and anger exhibited by many people, 
• the killing and wounding of innocent people, 
• the bickering, dishonesty, and lack of action of our elected representatives, 
• the insane greed and lust for power, money, and 15 minutes of fame,
• the overwhelming national debt,
• the millions of people looking for jobs,
• the loss of moral compasses by many people,
• the ever-increasing numbers of homeless people and addicts of every kind,
• the looting and stealing of other people's property by thugs,
• the destruction of property over stupid things like a sporting event won or lost,
• the great lack of respect for authority, anything or anyone, 
• the huge number of single mothers and abdication of responsibility by fathers,
• the boys who think that they are tough because they belong to gangs and are no strangers to drive-by shootings and other criminal acts,
• the ridiculous mismanagement of funds in cities, towns, and states causing the loss of needed protection provided by police, fire fighters, and our military.  
• and so many, many more issues that taint life in the world today.

You will notice we did not mention natural disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, fires,  hurricanes or tornadoes as they are things over which humans have no control. The problems we discussed are all man made and, therefore, in truth can be resolved by mankind if we are inclined to fix them.  We talked about things that could, should, or might be done to resolve the problems and make the world a better, safer place.

We believe the thing that could start to make things better is LOVE.  All children and adults need love, compassion and kindness, and when they don't get it anger, rage, and bad behavior are the results.  There have always been evil people and evil acts, and there are people who have been loved but still choose to go down a wrong path in life. Many people want to fight, quarrel, kill, threaten, attack, and generally behave like jerks.  Love, kindness and compassion can help many of them and, over time, prevent the numbers from increasing.

Such a simple answer but a true answer.  Will we all ask ourselves what do we do that we need to stop doing, and what do we not do that we need to start doing?  Will we begin in our own homes, on our own streets, in our own cities and towns?  Bad people and bad deeds make the daily news, but there are still millions of good people in this world who are never mentioned................there are enough good people so that we could turn the world around if we join forces and decide to do it.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love......................"  How about it?  Are you in?