Just for the record, I know that I just
raised an eyebrow or two from some of my conservative readers simply by using
the term “damn”. Frankly, I did it to
grab your attention – anybody’s attention, for the principle we will talk about
for a few minutes is important.
Let’s talk about giving a damn.
In my Kindle book collection you’ll find
a book by Bernadette Jiwi entitled Make
Your Idea Matter. At location 431
she writes a chapter titled “Giving a Damn Is Seriously Underrated.”
The story in condensed form: Meet Luna, a sick rat. He costs $12 and has about another year to
live, if he recovers from his current ailment.
They took Luna to the vet, got some antibiotics, had his heart listened
to and were sent home.
At ten the next morning the vet nurse
called to check on Luna. Was she breathing
easier, had her appetite returned, and were they able to get her meds into her? Remember now, we’re talking about a $12 rat
who is going to die in a year regardless.
That, my friends, is ‘giving a damn.”
Okay.
I’ll back off the “damn” thing and begin using the word “care.”
One of my tasks lately at the bank is to
call our customers whose accounts show up on the insufficient funds report each
morning. It is a courtesy call, for I don’t
want to see anyone get a $37 overdraft fee, especially for a $5.37
overage. I care about that kind of
thing.
My customer friend Owen is 67 years
old. He has cancer and has talked with
me about wanting to take advantage of the assisted suicide opportunities. That hurts my heart. I call him on occasion just because I want
him to know there is at least one person, his banker, who cares. Yes, I give a damn.
My friend Diane sells choral music for a bookstore
in Spartanburg, South Carolina. She is
the epitome of one who cares. She doesn’t
make a commission on her sales. She
talks and sells and laughs and cares for her customers. She knows the names of their spouses, how
many choir members they have, when their last ache and pain was, and how they
are getting along with troublesome deacons and board members in their
churches.
She gives a care.
Remember that time when your son had a
biopsy removed from his neck to check on cancer? Did anyone call you up and ask how he was
doing, or how you were doing?
Did you get a call from the big box store
the last time you bought and had to return a defective item? Yes, they made it good with a replacement,
but did they show “care” after the fact?
I’m going to borrow a John Kennedy quote
and then expand on it.
“Our most
basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children’s future. And we are all mortal.”
We are human beings, with feelings,
desires, and in great need of recognition and validation. Sometimes, we just want someone to
acknowledge that we exist, and that we are more than a voice on the other end
of the phone spending money, or a small bank account number making our meager
$324 deposit twice a month. We are
connected in large ways. We depend on
each other. I hope we care for each
other.
Do we care?
Get ready for it – I have to say it
again.
I hope so. I truly hope so.
P Michael
Biggs
Offering
Hope
Encouragement
Inspiration
One Word
at a Time
