 The intense emotions that have swirled through my consciousness during the last few weeks are directly related to the grand scale of bullshit (excuse my language) that is occurring around the world. I am going to over simplify the situation, in my usual fashion, to attempt to comprehend how and why we work so hard to hate and hurt our fellow human beings.
Gifting kindness, understanding, and charity seems so much more intuitive (and easier) than meting out harshness, judgment, and antipathy. I am, therefore, confounded when I see people writing contemptuous comments on news articles and social media posts, instead of providing constructive feedback. I am perplexed, when I hear judgmental conclusions about personal situations, instead of empathy. And I am angered, when I see that people feel free to diss others for their faith, their color, their nationality, their sexual orientation, their jobs, their politics, their culture, their clothing and personal style, and even their sport team affiliation. In short, I am exasperated by the apathy, egocentrism, narcissism, and conceit that surround us. On the other hand, I also witness grand acts of compassion, benevolence, humility, and humanity that are expressed with open minds and hearts. People are banding together to build a better world by offering: words of hope and sympathy, an unbiased listening ear, a gentle reminder, a warm hug, a smile, dedication to do good work, to agree to disagree, and even their homes to refugees, foster children, and others in desperate need. The kids I spend my days with inspire me; despite being bombarded with messages of indifference and disrespect from society, the media, and their peer networks, they make positive life choices that affect everyone around them. These actions contribute to moments of great personal confidence and optimism for all of humankind. Needless to say, this dichotomous emotional roller coaster has been fraught with tears of laughter and frustration, not to mention a bit of joy and sadness. My fondest wish is that everyone understands one simple fact: How you behave in life is how you will be remembered after the great equalizer comes to claim you. Personally, I would much rather be categorized under the “weirdly, eccentric, but kind” column for all of eternity, rather than the “jerky, egotistical, _(fill in the blank)_” file. DRC NEWS: Three Ways You Can Support DRC Annual Funding Appeal We sent out two hundred and fifty Deep Root Center Funding Appeal letters via the USPS, this past week. We probably (most likely) did not reach everyone who has expressed interest in DRC during these past two years. We apologize if you are one of the people that we missed; no worries, however, you can also find the letter here. Thank you for considering a donation to this innovative, revolutionary, non-coercive educational setting where each of our student members has expanded their vision of what education can be. They are exploring all the possibilities available to them, while having a great time! Stay tuned for more stories about their adventures in learning and life. You can give to DRC in honor or memoriam of a friend or family member, as well. Simply give us their names and addresses and we will also send a thank you note to them indicating your gift. DRC Dessert at Blackbird Café The Deep Root Center December Dessert is a peppermint ball dipped in chocolate. Go - Eat - Support community collaborations and local ventures. While you are there, please thank the Blackbird Staff for sustaining DRC with these awesome desserts. Holiday Gift Purchases through Amazon Smile and iGive You are shopping anyway, right? Choose Whole Learners, as your charitable Organization and DRC will get a percentage of each sale. Follow the links! Tuesday Profiles: Just in case you missed it, here is the link to last week’s profile of Karen Gagne, the Prez. This week the kids will be profiling me….
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