Archive for December, 2012

Monday, December 31st, 2012

The Lives They Lived

A celebration of the writers, thinkers, athletes, scientists and others who died in 2012.

A link worth following and stories worth reading – to quote the lead-in paragraph:

“This issue is meant to be a celebration of life, not an expression of grief. But since the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., grief has been unavoidable. Our wish for those who knew and loved the 20 children and 6 adults killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School is that they are held up by those around them until the day comes when they might feel something other than terrible loss. And our wish for the rest of us is that we all might help turn despair into hope.”

And it is a great celebration – no matter where you are in the world you will recognize many…if not all of the subjects chosen and if you are like me you will come away stirred by those with great accomplishments; moved by those whose lives were cut off too short; motivated by what can be accomplished…even in death; and your takeaway might be…like mine…a new appreciation for the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson: “It is not length of life, but depth of life.”

Or as I might paraphrase Emerson – it’s not the fame of life, but the impact of life. And to that end I would like to add my own short entry and share the life of a man who passed on last week…a man who inspired me and through the exponential power of “paying it forward” maybe thousands of others as well – and no doubt – countless numbers in the future.

Berns was a fairly ordinary guy to the outward world. Wife; two boys; 5 grandchildren; lived in the same apartment for over 40 years; worked; was devoted to his family and friends – you know the plot….

But as William James said: “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it” and spend it that way Berns did and outlast him it will.

You will not find his Obituary in any famous media outlet; you will not find his picture in any archive but I guarantee you that his legacy will last as long…longer…than most in the Times review and long after many of them are forgotten, people will be inspired by Berns.

He believed in unconditional love. That is he was non-judgmental. He encouraged success but he supported failure – he knew that one often leads to the other and that the line between the two was sometimes merely a kind word, an open ear, a strong shoulder, a pat on the back, a little money and a friendly smile.

He helped anyone who came into his field of vision. He was famous for writing checks and filling those annoying envelopes we all receive soliciting charitable donations – his view was if they took the time to do this how could I not…and he wrote those checks when his own bank account was empty and increased their size when it was full…but he never forgot.

He gave from his heart and he gave unconditionally. No strings attached; no demands; no feeling of entitlement to control because he gave – he wrote the check from love and gave it the way he gave his love unconditionally.

Berns gave jobs to people who needed a little help getting on their feet – even if he made up the work and the need; never making them feel obligated; never making them feel indebted. Never calculating cost ratios or creating any sense of being put out. Again – unconditional help….

I could go on and on – bottom line – he inspired me – he continues to inspire me and as I replay my many conversations with him – it is clear, in retrospect, that the majority of them were making sure that I was settled and helping others…unconditionally.

Bottom line – I like so many others – try to pay forward his kindness and already my children are enlisted in the same venture as are my friends and their children and of course his children and grandchildren…bringing deep meaning to “The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.”

So…as we end one year and begin another – a year without Berns…without the people the Times wrote about — but a year and a lifetime and more with their legacies — I share my wish for the New Year with all of you…Listen:

“May you live all the days of your life.” Jonathan Swift

Who inspired you?

Share them….

What do you think?

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by David on 12/31 at 03:07 PM
  • I heard John Niedermeyer, one of the editors of this NY Times section talking about the challenge of representing each individual in the style/format that best reflected each personality/legacy and identifying the right people to write, create, or design each piece whether it be illustration, video, etc etc Humbling to think about the stuff we leave behind for people to ...
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    Posted by lianna on 2013-01-02 00:47:29
  • I believe how you live is everything I believe young people today know this is right and will use it to shape the future. I hope it yes but have to believe it as well.
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    Posted by Belle on 2013-01-01 15:01:56
Monday, December 24th, 2012

WHY???

WHY?????

WHY?????

Why do bad things happen?

The past week I have seen talking heads pontificate on the school massacre in Connecticut USA sure of their own why:

Not enough prayers in schools

The teachers didn’t have their own guns

Video games are too violent

Autistic children can get violent

Divorce can be rough on kids

We don’t have enough spirituality

Not enough security in schools

The list goes on…

So do bad things…

Copy cat killers; little girls getting shot in Afghanistan; worshippers being blown up in their places of prayer…too much to document…we are inundated by violence and baseless hatred every day…and consequently we are inundated with the “WHY sayers” – the politically correct and politically incorrect pundits who are expert “WHYers” and sadly there seems to be no lack of occasion or audience for them.

My friend and teacher Sam K – who has inspired my ramble on a number of occasions – pointed out yesterday that silence is not acquiescence and that acceptance is not submission – to the contrary – but rather than worship the pseudo religious/philosophical/sociological/psychological babble of the “WHYers” and the handwringers — we need to become part of the doers and changers by putting aside politics and religion and whatever to make change happen.

The sound of silence becomes a powerful force of society and not a sad excuse for inaction.

Mark Twain said it best…listen:

“Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.”

And there you have it – time for active silence—for using religion to stop the bad not explain it – for using politics to end it not debate it – for using the media to rid ourselves of it not spread it – for action more often than words.

At this time of holiday for so many around the world – and if it’s not your holiday for respect of others – I end with this thought…listen:

“My country is the world, and my religion is to do good.”  Thomas Paine

We talk about the small world we live in – the Generation World we are all a part of…My hope for the New Year is that we can find universal common good – by doing…

So bottom line – do not ask why or even why not – just do…

What do you think?

Posted by David on 12/24 at 03:27 PM
  • be the answer, like a keel
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    Posted by Amanda on 2012-12-27 18:07:59
  • What are you doing to make the world a better place? There are so many social media platforms available that everyone has a voice, but how many of these people take a stand and turn thoughts into actions. Next time you are vocal, ask yourself why don't you do something about it, write to government, join a political rally or ...
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    Posted by Jerome on 2012-12-27 09:48:41
  • This is where the rubber hits the road. As an industry, we and our peers use communication and engagement to help change attitudes and behaviours. So what's different here? This is our chance not just to contribute, but to lead the change. What's stopping us?
    Read more >
    Posted by Grant on 2012-12-26 09:03:54
Monday, December 17th, 2012

Teach Your Children Well

“This kind of thing doesn’t happen here.”

“You hear about it, but it’s about other people – not you.”

“Who could believe this? Who would ever do such a thing?”

“It’s all unreal….”

26 people – 20 children and 6 adults were gunned down in a small town in Connecticut USA by a crazed killer with automatic weapons.

So many questions need answering – how did he have access to such an arsenal? – why should anyone have access to what amounts to weapons of war? – did he get the help he needed with his obvious issues? – and on and on and on….

But here is the saddest truth – it does happen here – here being anywhere.  It is about me and you, believe it…it’s sadly as real as it gets.

When I searched “School Massacres” there were some 10 million references returned in milliseconds.  Believe it.

One site listed the 10 worst — terrorist attacks; disgruntled employees; simple nut cases – and what makes it even more poignant is that no continent is free – no one country is more vulnerable than the next – the common element is that children are, plain and simple, the most vulnerable target of all.

And, as shocked and “surprised” as we are that it happens here – here as in anywhere – schools all over the world have heightened their security – children drill for just such occurrences and teachers are trained to react and cope as they did heroically last Friday.

Clearly in our collective knowledge we worry, we plan, we do our best to protect, but somehow we don’t seem to do enough to prevent.

As I scanned the news of Saturday and Sunday, I lost count of the attacks on schools and schoolchildren happening all over the world. In China, in Afghanistan, in Syria – some by outright crazies, some because they hate the idea of children learning, and some because kids get caught in the crossfire…collateral damage, if you will.

No matter the reason, the children die, they are maimed, they are scarred for life.

And every once in a while – as in Connecticut – or like the young girl now recuperating in the UK, shot by the Taliban – we transcend mere statistical counting and the story rises to our collective consciousness and for a brief moment we wring our hands, we come together and then we move on, adding another set of numbers to a grim and mounting score as the next attack becomes the new tragedy and the old fades to a statistic.

Who knows what cure for cancer was killed in that school, what technological advance to make our lives better and more comfortable, what music yet to be composed or art to be created – who knows what solution for world harmony is buried with any of the victims…anywhere in the world.

Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, once said, “Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.”

Clearly we need to do more than strengthen the locks on our school doors and tighten up the evacuation protocols for children and teachers. And to be fair, I haven’t mentioned the 19,000 or so children who die everyday around the world because they don’t have access to medicine, food and other basic necessities that most of us take for granted.

It’s easy to blame the perpetrators and yes, they are evil. In some sick instances we have even seen where the victims themselves were blamed – however Albert Einstein had a different take…listen:

“The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing.”

So what do we do? What should we do?

Maybe the place to start is by hugging our own children and understanding that they are the proxy for all. Children – all children – are our future, our afterlives if you will – we need to protect and nurture them all.

One last thought – teach your children well – listen:

Hug…and act…because these kinds of things do happen and we need to make sure they don’t….

What’s your view?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by David on 12/17 at 05:59 PM
  • When it comes to a lunatic killing 20 kids and 6 adults on a school, it's a national drama. But when that country's army does the same somewhere else, say in any of those countless wars, then it is either ignored or just labeled as "collateral damage". It's sad to see how only certain tragedies are worthy of the politician's feelings. But ...
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    Posted by Rafael Neville on 2012-12-18 10:50:55
  • An impassioned (but reasonable) plea from one of the Walking Wounded: When I was ten years old, my father took me to Lake Waco, in Texas, to teach me how to shoot, using a 22 caliber rifle. It had a hair trigger, and as a result I accidentally shot my right big toe, which resulted in my having to wear orthotics ...
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    Posted by Richard Tooker on 2012-12-17 18:45:47