I did something good once.
When I was little I wanted to give money to people who needed help so I opened my bedroom window and threw out a $2 bill because in the 1970’s we actually HAD $2 bills. I don’t know if the rain wrecked it or a dog pooped on it or a person in need found it, but it was a great moment. I did something that wasn’t for ME.
I’m older now and I still give money away but I don’t use my bedroom window anymore and it doesn’t leave my hands as easily. I always want to make sure there will be enough money for ME.
I am the centre of my universe. I think about ME all the time. I make sure I get what I need and then I want more. And as long as ME is good, life is good.
And when a whole bunch of us live like ME we mess up the world. We hog the goodies and bud in lines. When someone out there isn’t getting a fair deal, it doesn’t concern ME but when we get a bad deal, we ask: What about ME?
The funny thing is that the sweetest moments in my life have been when I cared for somebody else more than ME. And no matter how much I do for ME I don’t feel as good as I thought I would. But when I forget about ME and give away what I can, something kicks in and I feel good - not the kind of good like when you’re in a hot tub, but the kind of good you feel when you help somebody move.
When you care about WE than ME it can first feel like a loss but often you end up gaining more than you else. It’s like the secret to life Jesus taught when he said: “Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.”
I first heard the phrase “Me to We” from a book by Craig Kielburger. When he was 12 years old he found a story about child slavery on his way to the comic section of the newspaper. He made a speech to his class then asked if anybody would like to help him do something about this problem. Something started that day and it’s never stopped. Craig and his brother Marc are now leaders of a world-wide movement of people “finding purpose through living with compassion, strengthening community and making a commitment to our shared humanity.” You can learn more through Me to We, Free the Children and Leaders Today.
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