Recently, CNN doled out its “Heroes” awards with pomp and circumstance. Beautiful celebrities recognized everyday people who help fellow beings around the world. These heroes do good deeds as varied as obtaining prosthetics for the uninsured, securing access to clean water, operating a mobile library for slum kids, supporting women brutalized by rape and other byproducts of war, and feeding the homeless. But outside of this rare ceremony, which focused on the good that is in humanity, the media is usually fixated on war, murder, rape, terrorism and other violence aspects of human nature. Not to take away the importance of reminding ourselves of the realism and the casualties of violence, I often wonder why our news outlets don’t provide enough exposure to NGOs and non-profit organizations that are working behind the scenes to address the fundamental factors that typically lead to conflict. Ratings are of course the primary reason. But ratings are driven by demand, and most people have that morbid curiosity to delve into the forces of the Dark Side.
Which brings me to the purpose of my blog: learning more about the individuals and organizations who help others without expecting anything in return (except to meet their original objectives), and showcasing them to inspire others to do the same. OK, I admit it’s all a bit touchy-feely fluffy sugary sort of thing. I also must confess that I like movies with lots of action and fighting. But this is reality folks, not fiction.
In my previous posting, I linked to President Obama’s 2009 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech for a specific reason. Regardless of one’s political standing or reactions to the content of most of his speech, his summation of the nature of true and lasting peace is worth listening to:
- Civil rights: inherent rights and dignity of every individual; freedom of speech, religion, identity
- Political rights: freedom to choose their own leaders, freedom from fear and oppression
- Economic opportunity and security: access to food, clean water, medicine, a decent education for children – all of the things necessary to survive and sustain a society
The people and organizations I seek out are those who tackle these very problems. I begin locally with those operating in the cities and neighborhoods surrounding my home in Silicon Valley & the San Francisco Bay Area “Peninsula” region.
