It's All Relative

J. Scott Hales
Dothan, AL

I have a purpose, and an agenda, as do ALL writers no matter how much they try to convince us that objective journalism is alive and well. I am a freelance writer who cares about the human condition, and I want my work to continually reinforce that statement, so I just might be remembered for having helped you or someone you love through my ability to communicate.

In the end, however, I know whatever good is in me is due to the love and compassion of my grandmother. It wasn't just me she loved. It was everyone she ever met, and you truly felt loved when she was anywhere near you. She had the uncanny ability to calm you with a word, or more so the tone with which she spoke those words, but one phrase in particular, "Kind words, and cool water."

It is apparent to me - and the reason, once again, why I am sitting here writing - that no one even cares, and/or will even try to disprove the fact that scientific carbon-dating and genetic testing supports that all of the human species can be traced back via mitochondrial DNA to a single skull found during the 1930's in Africa.  The skull was found to be over 120,000 years old, and again, the specific gene passed through all our mothers was also found in it.*  Now, just let that sink in for a moment...

I am not here for a science lesson, however, nor am I even attempting to attest that one theory is any more accurate than another. I see things every day that make me wonder how we arrived at a point where we feel obligated to establish dominance over people who look, speak, believe, or act differently than we do. Spiffy-tific theory states that we are merely hard-wired to believe we are, by virtue, better than the next person, and our ability - or inability - to express that belief is the real problem.

I posted a photo-quote/meme earlier today that states, "The world is full of good people. If you can't find one, be one." Can you imagine what the world would look like if we all tried to live by this philosophy? The quote is an optimistic call-to-action, and I truly believe if we make an effort to try to do something nice for someone today that we may not necessarily have done yesterday, we could - one day - ultimately be responsible for changing our world for the better. Sure, we can find ten million things wrong with what everyone else is doing, but why not find one thing that YOU can do right, and - like Nike ordered - just do it? We are, after all, our own best and worst critics, so the easiest place to start looking is definitely within. If you adopt this simple philosophy, I promise before you know it, you will begin to see others trying to catch the Helper's Fever too.

Yes, we are all different, and have something unique to offer. Contrary to popular belief, though, your gift is not yours, and the key to that ever-elusive happiness is giving your gift away. Even though a lot of people absolutely despise cooking, my grandmother loved it. Southern culinary fare was her gift, and she took advantage of giving it away as often as she could. Trust me when I say that her - and I quote for pronunciation's sake - 'Nanner Puddin' was just one thing that everyone appreciated and enjoyed immensely. Hearing about how much her friends and family enjoyed the gift she so selflessly gave overflowed her own cup of joy time and again. Hence the name, 'gift' because it is meant to be shared with as many people as you can find that will appreciate it.

We may not be able to change the way others think, but that's not the deal I'm proposing here at all, because no matter what you believe, you have to feel - at least within your innermost self - that if we... just us who read this blog post... do better today than we did yesterday, the world will be at least two people better tomorrow. Can we agree on the fact that none of us is a perfect human, and that all of us could use a daily dose of growth? I sure hope so.

I think that's a good starting point, and that is your mission for this weekend if you so choose to accept it. Be nice to someone. Heck, try being nice to everyone. It is, after all, quite a Spiffy Way to live, and would make your grandmother proud! You have my guarantee on that!

Until next time, I pray the healing continues for us all.

*Informational and photo credit: Stephen Oppenheimer The Real Eve, 2002, Basic
Or watch the Discovery Channel documentary at this link: https://youtu.be/2Ca1AC5hVtE