I hear a lot of “me” talk all around me at work. Me. What I’ve done. What’ I’m doing. What I’m going to do. “I’m going fishing this weekend.” “I’m going to play golf.” “My kids did this.” “I did this.” “We did that.” Me, me, me.
But, once in a while, I hear some “our” talk, and I heard some this week. I asked a coworker what he did over the weekend (of course opening the door for “me” talk), and heard quite the story: about what his church and neighbor churches had done. It seems that there’s a need here in Seminole County to help kids get the school supplies they need. Even in this somewhat well-do-do area, there are families that struggle, parents that can’t afford backpacks, notebooks, and the like for their kids. So this guy’s church and neighbor churches all got together and solicited donations for school supplies. They handed out well over 1500 backpacks filled with school supplies last weekend. They had a somewhat festive, carnival-like atmosphere with food and games, even. Talk about really making a contribution to the community.
In all the conversation with this coworker, we’ll call him Bob, not once did I hear about what Bob had done. It was all “we” and “our church” and the like. I have no idea if Bob handed out backpacks, or grilled burgers, or emptied the trash. It was not a “me” event to Bob, it was “us.” It was “our church” and “our group.”
So here we have an everyday “real” person. Not focused on himself. Rather, focused on helping others. Isn’t that the way life is supposed to be led? So for all the “me” talk I hear all the time, well, if you think I’m listening and really care, you’re wrong. I’m looking for the “us” and “they” talk, for the substantive things that people do with their lives, not the self-centered, self-serving everday things a person does to feed their own ego. I’m looking for those who help others, and those are the people who really matter in life, those who help others…..