a l i v e & a w a k e

It was great to see another part of the world. Although Central America isn't halfway around the globe, it was enough to leave behind some of the trappings and culture of North America and see life through someone else's eyes.

One of the things we are trying to do in the Nepean Leadership Development Course is to form a benevolent and responsible worldview in our students. What this means specifically is:

1. World Without Borders - we have to learn to see people from other nations as essentially an extension of us. We must live in a borderless world, where National borders, languages, cultural differences are things to be explored, appreciated, and shared.

2. When One Part Hurts, We All Hurt - events like the Tsunami in Malasia or the Hurricanes in the Carribbean, or the war torn countries in Africa and the Middle East present themselves as opportunities to care for the global family in any way we can.

3. I Can Help - when we see a need, the temptation is to shift the responsibility to someone else; whether it's a humanitarian organization or charity, or to some "super-government". When we begin to realize that we can do something to help, we begin to take responsibility as a fellow human being.

4. Small Things With Great Love - as said by Mother Teresa, "Don't attempt to do great things. Instead do small things with great love". Whatever you can do, don't worry about how magnificent or large-scale it is - just do it as if it was the greatest thing.

Honduras opened my eyes to see not only the power of our dollar, but the power of a heart that is willing to care and get close enough to help. Sometimes you don't have to go around the world to begin to be helpful.  The true test of this "principle" will be how well I enact it while I am here at home.

Jon