Restoring Faith in Humanity
So after reading an article about the moments that restored my faith in humanity this year, it got me thinking about everything that happened in my life this year that gave me hope for humanity.If you think about it, people are born good. It is through our surroundings and upbringing that we learn how to hate others. For some people, that means that they will be caught in a vicious cycle of hate forever. That idea breaks my heart. I love the people of the world, and I have had many great encounters this year and throughout my life where my faith in humanity was restored.
1. In America, our media bombards us with images of war and hate for Americans coming from the Arab world. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that my parents weren't too thrilled when I told them I was planning on spending most of my summer doing research in Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank. I kept getting told that I was going to get shot or kidnapped and raped. I have never really been the type to expect the worst in people, so while that thought was in the back of my mind for a while, I assumed I would embrace the people of this distant land in a peaceful, welcoming manner. The response I got was amazing. I have never felt more welcomed by a group of people than I did in Jordan and Palestine. Go figure, right? The hospitality I received from these people was uncanny.
At one point, my research team and I found ourselves in the home of a Palestinian man who didn't have 2 shekels to rub together, yet he welcomed us in, offering the last of his tea and sugar to us, as well as giving us little gifts. This was a far cry from the images of suicide bombers we see scattered about on our news stations.
2. After leaving my dear friend, Isaac in Brussels, I decided to spend a few days exploring Paris. With my limited working knowledge of the French language, I decided I would try to take on this city alone. I took a train from Brussels to Charles De Gaul airport, because the hotel I booked was really close to CDG, so I figured I would drop my stuff off before going into the city. Six hours later, I'm still riding the train in and out of Paris, trying to figure out where to get off and how to get to my hotel. Finally, at about 2 AM, a couple of women from Nigeria saw me struggling to get any Parisian to give me directions. They offered to help me figure out where to go. They explained that I was not going to find a taxi in that area that late at night, but that they would help me get there. We hop on the train, and start heading into Paris central. I started getting a bit panicky because I knew that was the opposite direction from my hotel. They told me they were going to get me a taxi from there to my hotel. I didn't have any idea how much that was going to cost, but I knew I only had about80 euros in cash on me, and that wasn't going to get me from the the middle of Paris to a hotel about 2 miles from CDG. We got off the train, and they have me follow them to a sketchy part of town. I felt my heart beating in my stomach from fear. They walked up to a black car, and a man approached it, and I know enough French to know that they started haggling with him on a price to get me to my hotel. All I could think was "crap, I'm gonna die tonight." I figured that at this point, I was either going to die because I was very clearly an American traveler, so someone would kill and rape me and take my money, or I'd die because I was getting in some unmarked taxi. One of the women came back and told me to tell the guy I only have 35 euros on me. She said she got his number, and she would call every 5 minutes til I got to the hotel, and to have me call her when I was locked in my room for the night. If it wasn't for those two women helping me, I have no idea how my time in Paris would have played out, but I am so blessed to have had those little angels taking are of me.
3. Through college I worked as paraeducator for students with developmental disabilities. This last year I was working as a one-on-one with a 2nd grade boy with down syndrome. The innocence I witnessed from the children in his classroom was proof that we are born to love. These naive young souls showed my boy nothing less than love and compassion, looking beyond his differences.
4. I have been volunteering as a job coach for developmentally disabled young adults for a few years now under a group with United Way. I'm supposed to teach these individuals a lot about looking for a job, resume writing, interviewing, developing job skills, and that sort of thing. The reality of everything though, is that they teach me so much. These individuals are old enough and aware enough to realize that there is something different about them. They know that they are not mentally at the same level as most of their friends, yet they troop on. They get laughed at, made fools of by others, and get put down constantly. They get hurt, yes, but they continue to put a smile on their face and enjoy their life.
5. During Hurricane Sandy, people were flooding all the stores buying water, bread, cereal, anything they could think of that wouldn't spoil in case we were hit really hard. While driving home from a friend's house, I was stopped in stand-still traffic. I wasn't in the nicest area, so when I saw a man walk out of a new Cadillac and knock on the door of the house just off the road, I assumed it might be some kind of legal issue. It was not that at all, I watched as the man carried in cases of water to a family who looked like they were really struggling economically. I can't be sure that this man was a good Samaritan, but I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he was helping his fellow man in a time of trouble.
6. Kony 2012. Yes, as much of a scam this might have been, it definitely united people across the world in order to help our global family. I don't remember how much money was raised or how many views the video had, but I do know that everyone across the world now knows the horrific work of Kony and the LRA.
7. While volunteering with the Latinos in Action conference during the spring, I got to witness some amazing young people do amazing things. One high school aged girl does know it, but watched as she left her group of friends to help one of our middle school kids who was lost on campus find his group. It's the small things :)
These were just a few things that really stuck out in my mind as I reflected on the year. As we close this year, let's remember that we as humans belong to one another. It is our duty to be our brothers' keeper, and to help each other.
1. In America, our media bombards us with images of war and hate for Americans coming from the Arab world. With that in mind, it comes as no surprise that my parents weren't too thrilled when I told them I was planning on spending most of my summer doing research in Jordan, Israel, and the West Bank. I kept getting told that I was going to get shot or kidnapped and raped. I have never really been the type to expect the worst in people, so while that thought was in the back of my mind for a while, I assumed I would embrace the people of this distant land in a peaceful, welcoming manner. The response I got was amazing. I have never felt more welcomed by a group of people than I did in Jordan and Palestine. Go figure, right? The hospitality I received from these people was uncanny.
At one point, my research team and I found ourselves in the home of a Palestinian man who didn't have 2 shekels to rub together, yet he welcomed us in, offering the last of his tea and sugar to us, as well as giving us little gifts. This was a far cry from the images of suicide bombers we see scattered about on our news stations.
2. After leaving my dear friend, Isaac in Brussels, I decided to spend a few days exploring Paris. With my limited working knowledge of the French language, I decided I would try to take on this city alone. I took a train from Brussels to Charles De Gaul airport, because the hotel I booked was really close to CDG, so I figured I would drop my stuff off before going into the city. Six hours later, I'm still riding the train in and out of Paris, trying to figure out where to get off and how to get to my hotel. Finally, at about 2 AM, a couple of women from Nigeria saw me struggling to get any Parisian to give me directions. They offered to help me figure out where to go. They explained that I was not going to find a taxi in that area that late at night, but that they would help me get there. We hop on the train, and start heading into Paris central. I started getting a bit panicky because I knew that was the opposite direction from my hotel. They told me they were going to get me a taxi from there to my hotel. I didn't have any idea how much that was going to cost, but I knew I only had about80 euros in cash on me, and that wasn't going to get me from the the middle of Paris to a hotel about 2 miles from CDG. We got off the train, and they have me follow them to a sketchy part of town. I felt my heart beating in my stomach from fear. They walked up to a black car, and a man approached it, and I know enough French to know that they started haggling with him on a price to get me to my hotel. All I could think was "crap, I'm gonna die tonight." I figured that at this point, I was either going to die because I was very clearly an American traveler, so someone would kill and rape me and take my money, or I'd die because I was getting in some unmarked taxi. One of the women came back and told me to tell the guy I only have 35 euros on me. She said she got his number, and she would call every 5 minutes til I got to the hotel, and to have me call her when I was locked in my room for the night. If it wasn't for those two women helping me, I have no idea how my time in Paris would have played out, but I am so blessed to have had those little angels taking are of me.
3. Through college I worked as paraeducator for students with developmental disabilities. This last year I was working as a one-on-one with a 2nd grade boy with down syndrome. The innocence I witnessed from the children in his classroom was proof that we are born to love. These naive young souls showed my boy nothing less than love and compassion, looking beyond his differences.
6. Kony 2012. Yes, as much of a scam this might have been, it definitely united people across the world in order to help our global family. I don't remember how much money was raised or how many views the video had, but I do know that everyone across the world now knows the horrific work of Kony and the LRA.
7. While volunteering with the Latinos in Action conference during the spring, I got to witness some amazing young people do amazing things. One high school aged girl does know it, but watched as she left her group of friends to help one of our middle school kids who was lost on campus find his group. It's the small things :)
These were just a few things that really stuck out in my mind as I reflected on the year. As we close this year, let's remember that we as humans belong to one another. It is our duty to be our brothers' keeper, and to help each other.
posted by Grace at
2:51 PM
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