A Little Story on the Remarkable Power of the Human Spirit
The most beautiful thing in this world is the loving power of the human spirit. When you witness it, it’s unmistakable and it inspires and brings love and joy to your life like nothing else. What’s amazing in life is that we most often see this during moments of adversity, tragedy and difficulty. It turns life’s most daunting challenges into its most amazing revelations of character, love and hope.
I just found out a few days ago that one of my close, lifelong friend’s son has neuroblastoma- a form of cancer that affects young children. He’s not even two-years old. I could feel my heart break and the emotions overcome me. How is this possible? When I first saw the news I felt like time froze.
I thought of my family — my 3-year old son, my newborn who just recently entered the world, and I thought of how powerless we can all feel at moments of challenging news and difficult times. I thought of how innocent children are, and that they’re biggest concern is usually watching their favorite Disney show or playing with a doll or toy truck.
During times like this, while cliché, it’s worthwhile to think of how much we love the people in our lives and to give them a hug and kiss and tell them. It made me feel compelled to tell that to others and never waste an opportunity. Tough times can bring out the greatest of love, hope, friendship and compassion toward our fellow woman and man.
Generosity and Kindness
I was absolutely blown away by the generosity and outpouring of love that came recently from strangers, friends and people far and wide. You never really know how people will respond at times of difficulty. I’ve seen some remarkably generous monetary gifts, prayer, thought and comfort over social media and by phone.
A close friend of mine who I grew up with, you may know her as the comedienne Amy Schumer, generously donated $10,000 to support the family. I don’t think Amy has maintained contact with the family since high school, and yet she rose to the occasion to demonstrate the amazingly compassionate generosity that I personally know her for.
The truth is — tough times always define us in life. We can be proactive, yet it’s how we react to change and adversity that make us into the men and women we are. I’ve seen throughout my life that when terror struck the Twin Towers on 9/11, people from my hometown evolved from policeman, firefighter or stock broker to hero that saved lives and put others before themselves.
Everyday citizens like Welles Crowther lost his life and saved hundreds of lives during a moment of unimaginable horror on that fateful morning.
When I was a young boy, I fell into a lake and my oldest brother jumped in and saved my life. That’s stuck with me forever. It doesn’t always have to be physical. When I think of the four composite attributes of the human being — physical, emotional, spiritual and mental — I think of how it should be our goal everyday to nurture these parts of what makes us who we are. That we should always strive to grow and learn, build on mistakes and keep going.
If you’re interested in giving to support my friend, please follow this link.
What Really Matters
I think of how we can hope and keep very strong faith for those we love and care about. How we can stay positive, strengthening our mental faculties, to withstand any negativity and inclination to think about failure or worst-case scenarios. I think of our ability to harness our emotional intelligence — to accept circumstances as they come, but also to energize ourselves with emotive, passion-filled thoughts.
To persevere and help others persevere through the biggest fights of our lives. We’re so much stronger than we give ourselves credit for. The power of the human spirit is alive and well. Hope, faith, positive attitude and determination are forces that cannot be denied in this world. I’ve seen them on display in the past week as one of my close friend’s watches his son fight for his life.
It’s beautiful to see how altruistic and compassionate people are during times of great danger and adversity. It’s these values that truly define us. They make us what we are. They give hope to all of us to look at what really matters in life, and to love with all our hearts.
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