Belief. Faith.

Do you have them?

What about belief in others, faith in your fellow (wo)man?

Yesterday I received a video via email. A keynote speaker at the Dallas Independent School district. (http://www.dallasisd.org/keynote.htm).
What a simple but powerful message!

And it made me question my own belief and faith in my fellow man.

Does my belief end when they graduate? Is there an age limit to believing in the potential of others?

Why are we willing to discard perfectly good human beings?

I see it every day.

I think about the starfish story. If you know it, just skip on past, although reading it again still makes me stop and think.
***
The Starfish adapted from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley (1907 - 1977)
***
Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance to the day, and so, he walked faster to catch up.As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean.He came closer still and called out "Good morning! May I ask what it is that you are doing?"The young man paused, looked up, and replied "Throwing starfish into the ocean.""I must ask, then, why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?" asked the somewhat startled wise man.To this, the young man replied, "The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don't throw them in, they'll die."Upon hearing this, the wise man commented, "But, young man, do you not realize that there are miles and miles of beach and there are starfish all along every mile? You can't possibly make a difference!"At this, the young man bent down, picked up yet another starfish, and threw it into the ocean. As it met the water, he said, "It made a difference for that one."
****

Every day we pass up opportunities to make a difference to someone.
The question is, have we lost our ability to believe? Have we lost faith in humanity?

So many of us have become cynical about helping others. A good friend recently commented that he’d been burned so many times he needed asbestos pants.

But I know for a fact that at least one of those starfish survived.

I’ve been fortunate to have had someone believe in me for most of my life. She believes I can do anything, achieve anything, and become anything. Together, we’ve tried to pass that along…to our children, to our friends, and at times to perfect strangers.

And what did we get in return?

The Big Payoff.

Every penny spent, every second spent, every bit of what we gave came back in one simple statement.

“Thanks for believing in me”.

Those moments are more precious than gold.

And you know what?
I believe in you.

I kicked off the morning with Alanis Morrisette "One Hand In My Pocket"

I'm broke but I'm happy
I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy,
yeah I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby
What it all comes down to Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five

I feel drunk but I'm sober
I'm young and I'm underpaid I'm tired but I'm working,
yeah I care but I'm worthless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be quite alright
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette
What it all comes down to
Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign
I'm free but I'm focused
I'm green but I'm wise
I'm shy but I'm friendly baby
I'm sad but I'm laughing
I'm brave but I'm chicken s***
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby

And what it all boils down to
Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet

I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano
What it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxicab...
I've got one hand in my pocket And the other one is giving a high five
*****