Back to the 70's

I'm going back in time as I am preparing for a class reunion next year. I graduated in 1978, which means my formative teen years was during the 70's decade. Let's remember together... Mood rings, lava lamps, Rubik's cube, Sea Monkeys, smiley face stickers, string art, and pet rocks all captured the imagination of my classmates during the 70's. The wildest fad surely was streaking nude through very public places! Families vacationed in station wagons and everyone wanted an RV. Guys sported shoulder length hair and non-traditional "establishment" clothing became the rage, including bellbottom pants, hip huggers, colorful patches, hot pants, platform shoes, earth shoes, clogs, T-shirts, and gypsy dresses. Leisure suits for men became commonplace, and women were fashionable in everything from ankle-length grandmother dresses to hot pants and micro-miniskirts. The movie Annie Hall (1977) even inspired a fashion trend with women sporting traditional men's clothing such as derby hats, tweed jackets, and neckties worn with baggy pants or skirts. During the 1970's the United States underwent some profound changes. First a Vice President and then a President resigned under threat of impeachment. The Vietnam War continued to divide the country even after the Paris Peace Accords in January 1973 put an end to U.S. military participation in the war. Roe v. Wade legalized abortion. Crime increased despite Nixon's pledge to make law and order a top priority of his presidency. Increased immigration followed passage of the Immigration Act of 1965, which reformed an earlier policy that favored western Europeans. People from Third World countries came to this country in search of economic betterment or to escape political repression. Women, minorities, and gays increasingly demanded full legal equality and privileges in society. Women expanded their involvement in politics. The proportion of women in state legislatures tripled. Women surpassed men in college enrollment in 1979. However, the rising divorce rate left an increasing number of women as sole breadwinners and forced more and more of them into poverty. I'm also listening to 70's on my Sirius radio, and there's nothing like music to take you back to a time and place! By the 1970's, the term "rock & roll" had become nearly meaningless. This decade saw the breakup of the Beatles and the death of Elvis Presley (I was going in to work at Karmelkorn when I heard the news and everyone was stunned!, robbing rock of two major influences. Pop music splintered into a multitude of styles: soft rock, hard rock, country rock, folk rock, punk rock, shock rock -­ and the dance craze of the decade, disco! But whatever sub-genre(s) you preferred, rock music was big business. It was a crazy and great time to be alive, wasn't it? :) [read more here kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade70.html]

Compassion

This post spoke to me. Having had an experience of being falsely accused of something and suffering a semi-public scolding, I will always remember the people who were loving and compassionate to me, who continued to uplift me in prayer. It was a hard time of my life and I went into a pretty deep depression, barely functioning for many months, but pretending when I was out in public (and not very well I might add), but eventually I was proven to be in right-standing and reinstated. The damage had been done to my emotions however. And I know that if I had practiced living more faithfully, my depression might have ended more quickly. As I grow older, I know that God has had to re-teach me things... things that in my stubbornness I have been so hard-headed about, but He patiently gives as many 'second chances' as we need. Thank God for Your mercy, never ending.

This post by Harvey Mackey, well known writer and speaker, reminded me of my personal experience; and also a former pastor, Tom Suiter, had told this story about the wolves. I just thought it was a powerful reminder of showing compassion to all.

ALL of us need compassion. We all have different trials and troubles, but the common thread is that we all have them.

Compassion A Native American grandfather was talking about how he felt to his grandson. “I feel as if I have two wolves fighting in my heart,” he said. “One wolf is the vengeful, angry, violent one. The other wolf is the loving, compassionate one.”

The grandson asked him, “Which wolf will win the fight in your heart?”
The grandfather answered, “The one I feed.”

According to one definition, compassion is an emotion that is a sense of shared suffering, most often combined with a desire to alleviate the suffering of another and to show special kindness to them. Compassion essentially starts with empathy. Compassionate acts consider the suffering of others and attempt to alleviate it as if it were one’s own. In this sense, compassion is the cornerstone of the Golden Rule.

Where does compassion fit in business? Will it hurt the bottom line? Will it make our company look soft, like a pushover?

The answers: At all levels, no and definitely not. Compassion and profitability are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, companies that are perceived as people-oriented and good corporate citizens have a far better chance of succeeding than those that put profits ahead of people.

When I was interviewing New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg for my book We Got Fired!…And It’s The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Us, the mayor told me that one thing he never forgot was the people who called him after he was fired by Salomon Brothers.

“I remember the exact list,” Bloomberg said. “If any of them end up in trouble, I’ll call them. If you see them on the way up, you should see them on the way down. Whenever someone gets fired or has some real problems, I always call to tell them my thoughts are with them. And if I can be of any help whatsoever, please let me know”

Michael Bloomberg is right about being there at the dark moments. I have always tried to call people when they were down, or to do what I could to help them get back on their feet and succeed. I believe compassion should be a vital part of our character.

There is a big difference between compassion and sympathy. Sympathy sees and says, “I’m sorry.” Compassion feels and declares, “I’ll help.” Compassionate people really care.

There are scientific studies suggesting there are physical benefits to practicing compassion. People who practiced compassion produced 100 percent more DHEA, a hormone that is though to counteract the aging process, and 23 percent less cortisol–the “stress” hormone.

When you’re happy, you make others m,ore happy. Why? Because compassionate people are more positive, plain and simple. Compassionate people radiate vibes that make the people around them happy to be where they are. And every skilled salesperson knows that a happier prospect is more receptive and more inclined to be a repeat customer.

Confucius said wisdom, compassion and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of a person. I’m not a big philosopher, but who could disagree with that?

Moral: Helping someone up won’t pull you down, and could very easily pull them to your side.

repost from Harvey Mackey -

harveymackay.com/compassion-uplifts-you-too/greywolf/