Why adults can be contagious...
Updated: 3 days ago
No matter where you are on the political spectrum, I think we can all agree that now that the election is over, in this season of giving thanks, one of the things we are all probably most thankful for is no more political ads on TV and no more text messages from all of our favorite (or least favorite) politicians and their friends! I think we all breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday knowing that the bombardment was over.
Maybe some people even learned that in the long run, negativity doesn't sell. Most of the times, people are looking for something to stand for, not against.
A few year ago I was invited to work in a rural school district in another state. I met with the superintendent and a couple principals to get a better idea of what kind of work I would be doing there. I was told that there had recently been an incident at one of the schools that resulted in them being mandated to address the issue. It was explained to me that this small farming community had been bringing in migrant workers during planting and harvesting season for as long as anyone could remember. This had always been the way things were. The incident that happened was when one day in the middle school during lunch, a group of students got in a circle around one of the tables that a group of children of the migrant workers were sitting at and started chanting "Build that wall! Build that wall!"
I was deeply hurt by how hurtful those students could be. But what bothered me almost even more than their behavior, was the work I was being brought in to do. They wanted to do programs and workshops with the students at all the schools around kindness, respect, and empathy for others. I told them plainly, "I'm sorry, but you don't have a problem with the students in your community. Your problem is the adults."
I read a book of wisdom once that said, "When the elderly forsake the law, this foretells the downfall of the community."
I really believe that's true in a lot of ways. When adults sneeze, young people catch a cold. What I mean is adults are often the ones that pass on cruelty, disrespect, and lack of empathy for other to the next generation.
Those young people didn't learn those attitudes and that behavior from each other. They learned it from watching adults do it on TV, online, and probably in a lot of their homes and community.
For far too long, far too many adults have modeled extremely questionable and sometimes dangerous attitudes and behaviors rooted in fear, anger, exhaustion, and ignorance.
My hope is that we as adults can take the time to reflect on the choices we make in terms of what kinds of conversations we engage in, what we post or share online, how much time we spend ingesting digital negativity (you are what you eat), and how we treat those that are different from us when it comes to race, gender, age, skin color, politics, and places of worship.
We have a chance to add more light to the world than darkness, and it starts with ourselves. Learning to love ourselves makes it easier to love others.
We've created a resource that can serve as a guide for adults and youth to start being intentional about creating communities of care wherever they are. I'd encourage you to download it, reflect on it, act on it, and share it with others.
And here's a short powerful video of a piece that Shaun Derik and I have performed all over the country about how people are able to flourish when they know they are safe, valued, and necessary.
Please watch, reflect, and share this video with your network.
I'd love to come work with you and your program, school, or community.
Let's connect and figure out how to make it happen. Click here and reach out.
As always, thank you so much for the work you do,
but most importantly for the person you are.
Also don't forget to share this to your socials!
I love you because I am you!
