Person to Person: Relationship lessons learned during the pandemic
During the couple of months, we’ve all had to face the truth. We really are linked to everyone on the planet. What affects one person will eventually impact all of us.
But, if we examine this further, we can find a lot of positive facts and revelations. We can determine where real power lies. For example, loving one’s neighbor is basic to preserving our planet and our way of life.
We all need to look out for each other; we all need to come up with ideas to enhance the economy of our communities; and we all need to be volunteering in our communities on a regular basis.
While politics or various types of leadership might separate us, all humans are basically alike. We value family, our homes, good health, good food and dreams of a bright future.
“I’ve never cried so much, watching patients in my hospital fighting for their lives,” says a nurse we’ll call Vicky. “But now, I’m determined to do more for others — especially since watching people drive through endless food bank lines on the evening news.”
The truth about our relationship with ourselves and connection to other people includes facts such as these:
_ Our health really is our wealth. We’ve all heard this statement before, but it’s glaringly true now. The physical and emotional well-being of each individual has no substitute. If we’re neglecting our health, it’s going to impact our families and our communities.
_ We need to work hard to secure the middle class. In the future, we all need to do everything we can to promote good education, training, jobs, healthy budgets at home and work, and earning power that helps families build savings. Living paycheck to paycheck is not financial security.
_ Good leadership calls for accountability. Every neighborhood and every economic class needs leaders who can do detailed planning for the future. Leaders should set clear and reachable goals, using dogged determination to create jobs and neighborhoods that are solid and something to be proud of.
“When I look around my neighborhood, it makes me angry,” says a woman in rural Tennessee we’ll call Rita. “Our town leaders have neglected our roads, failed to enforce rules for landlords to keep up property, and they’ve allowed way too many bars and breweries close to my neighborhood. When the pandemic is over, I plan to run for office and insist we make healthy changes.”
Holding others accountable is important for putting a solid foundation under your life. When a crisis hits, such as our national pandemic, it forces us all to wake up. When all need to ask: Who has been helping support my goals and dreams? Who has been draining me financially and emotionally? What have I been tolerating from community leaders that I should have challenged?
“It’s never good to feel overly sorry for other people,” says a minister we’ll call Jackson. “After all, that can drag every one of us down the drain. Our mission to help other people should require that they do their part. Good relationships are based on mutual respect. This means each person should have a daily agenda to contribute time, money, ideas, and real effort in one’s household and one’s community.”
Jackson is right. We need to raise our standards for encouraging other people, require them to pitch in and help, and work to get our world back on track.
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