Last night I pulled into the parking lot of a local pharmacy with my daughter to fill an Rx to relieve her bronchitis symptoms. There next to our van was an older compact car with some major wear and tear. It had several bumpers stickers on it. One of them read "Losing Faith in Humanity...One Person At a Time". (I believe this is a takeoff on a bumper sticker from the past with an opposite message "Restoring Faith in Humanity...One Person at a Time" or something like that.)
When I read this bumper sticker, my heart sank. How pessimistic, I thought. I wanted to find the owner of the car and give them a hug and ask them about their life. Not that I could solve any problems for them or make their life better, but I wanted to urge them not to lose their faith in humanity and that there are good people out and about who care about others individually and collectively. I wanted to know more about this person's life. I felt sorry for them. I wanted to try to give them some hope...one person at a time.
So we went into the pharmacy and there behind the counter was a Muslim woman pharmacy technician with a robe and scarf. She was shy but was helpful to each of the customers. Alongside her was another younger female pharmacy technician with spiked pink hair who was bold and outgoing. Both of these women had some nose jewelry, I believe. Also behind the counter was the middleclass middleaged pharmacist. All of them were polite, pleasant, and helpful to me as I tried to find a substitute for the particular brand of cough medicine the urgent care Dr. recommended which that store didn't carry. The drugstore was a mecca--a cultural crossroads of ages and races and lifestyles all working together in a pleasant way serving their customers. I hoped that whoever had the car with the bumper sticker either worked there and experienced this uplifting environment, or was a customer coming in for helped and was served by one of these pleasant people. Perhaps they had their hope renewed--or at least had the pleasant experience that I had while I was there.
Overall I try to remain hopeful and optimistic about my life and our collective humanity despite the conditions around our world. I try to maintain relationships with people who help me keep my 'float' of optimism going. I also try to "give as good as I get". I try to model good behavior for those who have lost that hope, who don't have good support systems around them, or who never had the situation as a child where there was hope or understanding so they have no frame of reference.
Somedays it seems like an impossible task--just too overwhelming. Somedays the problems of those around me seem to be more than I can buoy. Somedays the best I can do is "do no harm". And then there are the days I just plain fail and have to ask for forgiveness from those I've hurt. But more and more I feel like I fail less and less. And largely that is due to those around me who help me and give me hope. There is no way to thank them enough except to just continue to "giving as good as I get".
We must all do what we can to "Preserve Faith in Humanity...One Person at a Time". It made me think about the simple benediction that I used to hear in church every Sunday when I was growing up. It became my mantra, my prayer. Throughout the week I'd say it to myself sometimes or keep it close to me even if only in my subconscious.
"Hold fast to all that is good.
Return no one evil for evil,
Support the sick and
Help the suffering.
Honor all people."
There is more to this benediction that my aging mind can't remember now. Can somebody help me?
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