Are you inward or outward focused? a taker or a giver ? What the refugee crisis can teach us about our movement.
The recent refugee crisis is straining the entire world, not just the EU. American cowardly announces it will take 10,000 when Germany only one of the EU countries is taking 800,000. Did you know that Germany is only 2/3 the size of California and smaller than Texas?
We are seeing the living proof of leaders who are givers or takers, who are inward and outward focused.
Hungry for example, has closed it doors from the beginning, although it did take in about 200,000 refugees in the past. Is this just a leadership mentality and lifestyle or is it an inward value of the people as a whole.
America on the other hand is seen to be split as many are givers and many are takers. However in the immigration crisis, we are seeing that most Americans really don’t want to help more immigrants, even if they are called “refugees.”
Germany’s leadership is certainly focused on the outward, sharing, helping, and giving. Great moral values that help shape a powerful country. Austria values are just the same. No other nation has reached beyond Germany’s open door to helping people.
At this point, you might be wondering, what does this have to do with a movement, our movement, our cause?
Whether you are a believer, or not we are seeing the world move and shift to a new paradigm one of self-centeredness and give me all I can get. It’s all about me and me and my family and that’s all.
While protecting and providing for yourself and your family is okay, this mindset is harmfully unbalanced. When you being to reach out and give to people who have nothing, you make a difference not only in their life, but in your life and the life of those around you.
There is a true story, well many true stories like them. This one is of an Asian boy who wanted a birthday cake, but he and his family could not even afford one, or the ingredients to make one. While shopping at a grocery store, he begged his mother as they passed the bakery, for a small birthday cake, and his mother told him I am sorry we cannot afford one. A stranger was observing the family and this crisis, and the boy pointing at the chocolate cake he wanted. Filled with compassion, the man hurriedly purchased the cake, and raced to catch the family before they got home. The family did not want to accept this (which is another story in itself), however they did and gratefully thanked the stranger. The stranger gave them a note that said “pay it forward” and told them someday they would be able to pay it forward.
Fast forward to 20 years later, another family is shopping and it is a boy’s grandfather’s birthday and they too pass a bakery in the grocery store. The mother explains how she wished she had the money to afford a cake for the boy’s grandfather’s birthday. A stranger was watching and listening, not knowing this family. He also hurriedly purchased the cake and raced to catch the family and when he did, he gave them the cake and a note, and said someone taught him this moral value and principle to “pay it forward” by sharing. The family thanked the man. When they got home, they surprised the grandfather with the cake. The grandfather, was upset at first because he knew the family could not afford this, and he asked with what did you pay for this, how? The mother explained that a stranger paid for it, and gave them this note. She showed him the note. The note was strangely the same as the one he wrote 20 years ago to a boy who could not afford a birthday cake. The man who bought this cake was the same person who the grandfather had purchased a cake for 20 years earlier.
This story is powerful, you can watch the video below. Whether or not you get paid by someone helping you in the future, you are creating a circle, and chain of selfless love and giving.
When we talk about our movement, it is evident that more people are followers and readers than the givers *staff of this network, selfless people who some have nothing to do with YOUR movement. Our leaders know what they are doing, they are paying it forward to a movement that is broken down, and defeated and most would rather wait until a money falls from the sky. They have forgotten about the hundreds of thousands of others, or they think they cannot afford to help anyone else but themselves. Maybe they really don’t want to help anyone else or sacrifice to help another. We saw it in a recent meeting, so many wanted to come and hear what the next news of the SLGH future is. The turnout was successful because there were free prizes given. Who would not want to come for a chance to win a new car or truck, or something big? It showed how out of balance people really are. You can’t get 100 to rally for a cause or even 10, but for free giveaways you can rally a small army together.
Maybe this is not the reality of why so many people attended an event, but you see this in political rallies also. They give a free concert or something of value. The politician goes away showing the world the thousands who attended, but they forget to tell who the people really came for.
We live in a world where we want and want and want, instead of being satisfied with what we have and sacrificing to help one person or more than a person. That is what our movement is all about, helping each other.
That is why we are writing this article, because as a staff of people where only two are land grant heirs, the rest are business people and caring people who selflessly give to help this movement.
You may read this and say, now wait just a minute I am not broken down, defeated, I am not one of those people you are talking about. I care for other people besides myself and my family. I am sure there are many of the heirs that are givers. We hope then these people will help support this network.
Maybe you are a person that we are talking about, we encourage you to give, even if not to us, find someone or a cause to give. We have partnered with Jessica Biel’s Make the Difference Network, you can sponsor something there.
Then there is our network a network that is existing to help. Our network is flooded with visitors and now we must pay an additional $500 a month to upgrade our server because we are over our limit in resources we are publishing to help.
We are planning a searchable database that will help heirs find their grant information and their ancestry. We can’t begin programming it until we get funding for it.
We need your help to keep this going. Please considering helping with donations, funding sources or membership. If you cannot afford to help financially there are ways you can help find supporters to help our movement. Click the “get involved link” at the top left corner. There are many ideas, including fundraisers, celebrity and business support campaigns.
It’s really simple if you take a little time and or money to help make our movement stronger and going.
Originally published at Hispanic News Network.
