At any given moment, we can all be feeling “on the edge.” Any set of circumstances could push us over. It is part of being human and not something we grow out of, find a fix for, get over or move on from. It’s something we have to learn to live with, and each one of us does that in a different way.
For many, isolation and loneliness can make life unbearable.
When you feel you have no one to talk to;
no real friends who will listen; that there’s no one who feels like you do or has been in your shoes; and the
toughest one of all – that no one cares – creates hopelessness, anguish and
despair. We are social beings, and when someone feels they have no real human
connection, it can push them to do inhumane things.
So what can we do? Maybe we need to pay attention a little
more – to our young boys who need male mentors and role models that aren’t
over-paid entertainers and sports stars; to our young girls, to encourage them
to be strong along with beautiful, and to follow their instincts as well as
their hearts.
What if we made a real effort to spend more time with our
families, and less time at work…or finally joined that church or community
group or class we’ve been thinking about…or took the time to volunteer at the
animal shelter or hospital we drive by everyday…or offered to shovel a
neighbor’s walk, or bring them their mail and ask how they’re doing…
Is there something or someone in your community, your town,
your neighborhood – that might benefit from knowing someone else cares? What if
we all took just a few minutes, a few times, and reached out, shared a cup of
coffee, offered to help, let them know we feel the same, could it make a
difference?
No one knows that, of course, but it seems small enough to
try and maybe there’s something to that “power in numbers’ thing…
