Acting On A Small Scale

A while back, Tim posed the following problem to the crack editorial staff here at the 'Post:

For a long time, you've mainly just been stating what you see as being wrong with society. But, you're pretty light on suggestions on what to do about it. Frankly, I think your postings are mostly the equivalent of the guy with a sandwich board on the street corner, railing about how the end of the world is coming. And we know how successful those guys are in actually accomplishing anything.

So, how about discussing what, if anything, we can actually do to encourage people to raise children as married couples instead of as individuals

So here's a not-quite-so-answery answer, but not the last time we'll muddle through the topic.

Yesterday, as part of an object lesson for my high school sophomore daughter, we took the bus downtown and worked at the Catholic Charities food assistance program office. She bagged and sorted stock while I processed and interviewed clients. I'll blog the object lesson later because I think it worked quite well.

While there helping the homeless, the elderly and the generally hosed, it didn't matter what was happening in society at large. I was able to discharge my Catholic mission of individual acts of kindness and charity; macroeconomics good or bad doesn't affect that. As Christ said, "the poor will always be with you" (Mark 14:7).

What does matter is what you do in your own life. As Dave Ramsey said, "Poor people can't help anyone" (Ramsey 12:23). In an oblique and very partial answer to Tim's excellent challenge, I'd say you need to pursue success and share the fruits of your labor with others that through your example, your charity and your counsel, you can bring them to success as well.

As my success formula is marriage, thrift, religion and useful skills, living by example and acts of kindness will have some affect on the people around you and more so if you're actively out in the community helping those who have crashed and burned.

It can't hurt.