Me, Them ... and Us

This is just a quick post to let you know about a new podcast. We think it's an important podcast for you to hear. It's about a new way to look at the world -- not being all about "me." But also not being all about "them."

At The Humanity Project, we believe in a different philosophy. We think our lives can and should be lived for "us." We can live, act, think and love in ways that contribute to all of us together. See what we mean by going to our home page at www.thehumanityproject.com and clicking on The Humanity Podcast. Then click on the top podcast, "Me, Them ... and Us." We think you may find it helpful as a way to live your everyday life.

This is the third in a series of original modern fables by The Humanity Project. They are short, fun, fictional tales that we hope will help demonstrate key points of The Humanity Project message. Stories have been used to teach moral lessons for centuries, from the ancient Greeks through the Bible and up to today’s self-help gurus. That’s also our goal with these stories. We hope you’ll enjoy “The Tale of No-Time Nora.”

The Tale of No-Time Nora

No, no, no, no! No was No-Time Nora’s favorite word. Often she would say, while hurrying past him or her in some frantic flurry, “No! Sorry! No time!” No time for coffee with a colleague. Sorry! No time for sewing with her sister. Sorry! No time for a film with a friend. Sorry! No, nor time to stop and listen, nor time to stop and chat. Nora was far too busy for frivolous stuff, for time-wasting things like that.

“Sorry, sorry, sorry! Gotta go feed the dog! And then the cat,” she would blurt into her cellphone while darting door to door, car to apartment, in very few seconds. Usually just 26 seconds flat. Though with her arms loaded with grocery bags, Nora would sometimes wave one spare finger, very quickly, toward her neighbors Paula, Spencer and Nat.

No-Time Nora had showers to scour, you see. Washing to wash, dusting to dust. Endless errands, a list of things-to-do that filled up her day. Important stuff, time-taking chores like that. And when they were done, just before bed, there was always the company of her dog. And her cat.

There was no time at all for doing with others. There just were not two seconds in her day to give two seconds to anyone at all. She never could squeeze in one instant for friendly frolics or friendships, she never could eek out one moment for moments of family fun. Though sometimes Nora paused long enough to admire her checklists showing all the chores she just got done.

Of course, none of Nora’s “no’s” was entirely necessary. Her shower was completely mildew-free. Even her dog was scrubbed down and her cat was washed clean. As were Nora’s doors and windows and every one of her window screens.

But at least her busywork life kept her so, so, so busy. So busy she had almost no time to notice how busy she was being unhappy. No-Time Nora just numbly buzzed with a busy loneliness throughout each busywork day. With no one and nothing in her busy life but one fat dog. And one very fat cat. And one sparkling shower – oh yes, and also one totally spotless white bathmat.

Until one day, Nat helped Nora with an armload of groceries, smiled and said to her, “Nora, my neighbor, some of us plan to help out another neighbor who needs some real help this weekend, just down the street. I know you’re always rushing off to do chores in a frantic flurry. But why not help us help our neighbor for just two hours – or just one hour’s helping if you really have to hurry?”

She could at last meet all the nice neighbors in their nice neighborhood, Nat told Nora. Giving two of her busy hours to someone else might make her smile more than she seemed to smile now. She could set aside for a while, Nat suggested, all the endless chores of her frantic, flurried life. Nora might even talk a bit with Spencer and Paula – who, Nat explained, were his son and his wife.

Nora pondered Nat’s invitation for just a moment. For two seconds Nora gave his suggestion a first and second thought. Maybe she really needed to meet some people. Maybe doing something for somebody else would do her some good. Maybe a nice smile with some nice neighbors would make a nice change. And with Paula and Spencer, she might even have some pleasant words to exchange.

But you know, of course, how No-Time Nora answered Nat. “No” was the first of the few short words in her no-time reply. “No time for helping neighbors, but thanks, Nat – goodbye!”

Sometime later, after Nat was gone, Nora told herself she really would like to help her needy neighbor. Why, of course she would! Because she was a giving person after all. If, if, if only there were more hours in her busy, busy day. But on the big neighbor-helping weekend, of course, she really had to scrub down the dog and clean up the cat. “And then there’s that dirty shower to scour,” Nora reminded herself, “and I really, really must wash that filthy white bathmat!”

Time for sharing herself with others was time that No-Time Nora always seemed to lack. Besides, when she had tried sharing herself with others, in the long ago past, others sometimes didn’t share themselves back. Life was so, so much simpler with just her one sparkling shower and her one fat dog – and
her one very fat cat.

The Humanity Project says there’s no need for No-Time Nora to live in such busy, lonely isolation. She was prevented from connecting with other people mostly by fear and anger – that is, her memory of times when she had reached out but didn’t get the response she expected. The Humanity Project’s program teaches a practical system for sharing our best with others, without expecting anything from those people and without worrying that they won’t be grateful for our help. Unconditional giving. This frees us from the kind of feelings that held Nora back. We learn to focus on giving rather than getting. In turn, that makes us feel happier and allows us to connect with our fellow human beings in important ways. If you know a No-Time Nora, tell her (or him) to call The Humanity Project at 954-205-2722.

Finally, A New Blog!

Hello to everyone! I know it’s been a long, long time since the last blog. This pause in the action is unusual for The Humanity Project – and there have been many reasons for it. Basically, I have been focusing my efforts on building a stronger live organization here in South Florida so we can get the people and funds to do more. More for kids and adults here and elsewhere, in the community and online. We have big plans and big ambitions. One of the major current projects is developing our program of unconditional giving for the schools, where it can work effectively as an anti-bullying program. As the author of 23 books for young people, I know our system can be very useful in reducing bullying.

In addition to all this, I was away for nearly a month on a travel assignment. Since I’m not paid at this point by our organization, whose money is limited, I have to earn my living doing writing for magazines, blogs and other places. It was an amazing trip – Australia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines and Hong Kong. I learned a lot, including many things that directly have influenced my thinking about The Humanity Project and how to do what we do even better. But it was long time away from South Florida too.

Anyhow, I’m back and we’re moving forward. We’re making efforts to beef up our board of directors with new people, new ideas and new sources of income for our nonprofit group. The Executive Service Corps of Broward County is helping us with that. We’ve also begun a campaign for new members and volunteers. And we need your help! Please join us – it’s only $75 a year and your donation will support our work and add your voice to our group. Just go to the “Join the Project” page on our website to make a secure credit card donation. I’ll be back in this space soon with new stories and new ideas about how unconditional giving really can help you lead a happier, more meaningful life – and help others at the same time. Help Yourself, Help Humanity. That’s what The Humanity Project is all about!

This is the second in a series of original modern fables by The Humanity Project. They are short, fun, fictional tales that we think will help demonstrate key points of The Humanity Project message. We hope you’ll enjoy “The Tale of Generous Jen.”

The Tale of Generous Jen

Upon some time lived Jennifer once. Writing a children’s book, she was, all in lovely scented verse. Writing only once, perhaps twice, a month. Perhaps. When she could find some time.

This was how Jennifer’s scented children’s book began:

“Music comes alive at night, you know.
Every note has ears to hear.
It listens for the first sound of your snore.
And waits for your dreams to come near.”

Enchanted imagination was Jennifer’s great gift, telling us of things no one else could think to tell. Much more than these few lovely words, oh yes, Jennifer had almost written. But all the rest was still locked inside her head, just dancing and humming to get out for some young someone-else to read.

Just when Jennifer’s words would be unlocked free, oh my – this was anyone’s guess. If those words would ever be unlocked at all. Because Jennifer was so generous, you see. “Generous Jen,” her family all called her. Jen’s fingertips were usually far too busy helping someone else with something else for those fingertips to unlock her enchanted imagination. Whether that help for someone else was needed much or not.

No matter how many other fingertips were busy baking cookies for the church bake sale, Generous Jen always volunteered her fingertips too. No matter that her mother rarely wore some pair of worn pants – Generous Jen hemmed them up some half-inch higher with her busy fingertips. Just in case her mother changed her mind. Every friend who didn’t really need help packing up to move got Jennifer’s generous help anyway. Every friend of a friend who didn’t really need a ride to the airport got their ride anyway from Generous Jen.

There was not a “no” bone in her body any time anyone hinted they might prefer a “yes” from Jennifer. Always giving, giving, giving something or other to someone who didn’t really need her smallish gifts. That was Generous Jennifer.

If that’s what real giving really means, of course.

Because some gifts are gifts much easier to give than others, perhaps. Perhaps.

Much easier to give, at least, than writing scented verses.

At The Humanity Project, we believe “Generous Jen” isn’t really giving her best. But we also feel sure that she could. Our 10-point program can help Jennifer free that enchanted imagination – and the other great qualities that make her a unique individual with much to offer the rest of us. We all have that same potential, each in our own way. Learning to give the best in ourselves to others throughout each day, without expectation of reward or fear of rejection, can help release that potential. We hope you’ll want to join The Humanity Project to find out how a giving life can make you happier. And we hope you’ll tell your friends about us too!