We can do Better
Hiya. How have you all been?
I haven’t written a Carol’s Corner in a long time. Partly because I didn’t have much to share, which is different than “much to say”. Let’s face it, I always have a lot to say. and partly because I have been so disappointed.
Disappointed in people close to me, who have let me down for one reason or another, and disappointed with people in general. I can’t think of another period in time when so many were so concerned with themselves and so unconcerned with others.
Blame it on the wellness / self-help movement, social media, Covid-19 or all three, they all have contributed to enhancing this self-absorbed, self-centered reality. In the end, though, as in all things, one must blame themselves. We are not victims, we are responsible for our own actions even if we don’t want to admit it.
For a while, I was disappointed with myself as well. After ECA I drifted. You see, I didn’t “know what I wanted to be when I grow up” and I am still unsure more or less. Leaving the career I created and lived for 25 years to the unknown and open field of life, left a lot of choices, and lack of them. I did learn “ageism” is a very real thing and younger entrepreneurs don’t want to “hang out with their Mother”. Our industry favors and is driven by youth and that is just reality like the sports and entertainment industries. There is still opportunity, just less of it. And, for me at least, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be a part of yet. It took me 6 years of wandering, exploring and learning to see there was much of our industry I did not like.
I was not afraid however, there are always opportunities to make money and as I have taken care of myself since I was 16, I knew I can always earn a living. But, I am greedy, I want it all, I want to have a real PASSION for what I am doing, and I want to contribute and make a difference. That’s my criteria for employment. I was also unafraid because I have reinvented myself a few times already, leaving everything in the dust to morph and move on to a whole new reality. Change is good, it’s exciting and energizing, it is not something to be feared, but instead, embraced. It is through change and failure, that we learn and grow the most. Success lurks just around the corner, so never be afraid. As they say, “don’t look back, your not going in that direction”
That is what brings me to what I wanted to share. I want to share that it’s ok to be scared but not to have fear. It’s ok to have doubts but not to have ignorance. It’s ok to want and work at being the best you can be, but not at the expense of others.
We are communal creatures and we need and crave community. Community however, needs us as well. We need to care about our friends, family, neighbors, towns, cities, regions, states, country, WORLD. As many of you know I have been shouting about the climate crisis for over 15 years. “One Body, One World”tm. We cannot ignore it any longer and just “bitching” about things on social media is not going to change anything. We need to care about the people on the planet as well. In our quest for self improvement it is equally if not more important to help others. “ We are only as strong as our weakest link”. We need each other!
I have been complimented and praised for creating and running ECA, but really you can’t think that happened all by itself right? There were scores of individuals contributing time and effort much without financial benefit and some at great sacrifice. Gary, Lilli, Sydell, Susan, Gail, Grant, Kyle, Myrna, Mark, Curtis, Suzette, Gerard, Lisa my God … the list goes on and on! (you know who you are .. and so do I) The presenters, sponsors, team, volunteers; many of whom came back year after year donating their gift of time for free to make it all happen, ECA wasn’t one person’s dream, it was many. That is my point!
It is the same for the larger world we live in. We simply cannot do it alone. In case you haven’t noticed, we are broken! As a country, a nation, and a world. Torn apart by hate, indifference, intolerance, ignorance, and injustice. I am disappointed in us and it’s time to stop!
How do we do this? You ask? As we do everything else that is successful, we do it together!
We don’t “play the victim” or wait for someone else to take the lead. We start by small acts of selflessness. We know what to do, and to quote another phrase from our industry “ just do it”.
It’s time now. It’s time to make the time to help contribute toward a greater good, to help others as well as ourselves. I may still be on my journey of self-discovery and reinvention but I still make the time to help others and try my best to do my part to help our planet. The environment is still our #1 issue, we only have one EARTH, despite our endeavors in space and mars, we aren’t moving anywhere else any time soon and we owe it to our children and their children’s children to do everything we can NOW.
I don’t have all the answers, that’s not what this column is about. And I know we are worn and battle scared from Covid-19 and being isolated and living in panic and fear, I know we still have racial inequality and human rights issues, I know social media is doing as much harm as it is good I also know we have become more selfish and judgmental. We have become more isolating and myopic. We have become more intolerant and closed off.
But most of all, I know we can do better.
