I'm not a religious person, but in the back of my mind, I tend to believe in karma. It's a nice thought to believe that if you do good for other people, it will come back around. In fact, doing nice things is self-rewarding. It feels good, and in desperate times, the idea of a karmic payoff is reassuring.
It's a nice thought because you can do a lot of nice things with limited resources. You don't have to have money to perform random acts of kindness, and if you do good things and you work hard, why wouldn't you eventually reap some benefits? Well, fuck karma.
I, like you, am responsible for whatever success I may or may not have in my life. I know this without a doubt, and I'm grateful for it. But the fact remains that everyone, even the most proud, is forced to ask for help now and then.
Because it's always who you know more than what you know, I have asked for help in finding a job recently, and besides some heartfelt encouragement and priceless support, the response has been overwhelmingly underwhelming. What do I have to do?
I'm not one to sit around, hoping something will fall in my lap. I actually have several projects going on at any given time. I constantly work to increase my freelance income and to secure a full-time job. I have also, as the coordinator of the Downtown Olympics, a member of Handling-Panhandling and the SMA, and other networking endeavors, invested time and effort in improving the Downtown community that I love.
I am a qualified account manager, communications specialist, event coordinator, (award-winning) video artist, and writer/reporter. These are all related skills that could be utilized in any number of professions. I have proven myself and asked for help, and now I'm mad. If someone doesn't extend just a simple introduction or recommendation, I'm about to go Erin Brockovich all over your asses.
I feel like I know a lot of you that read this blog, and you are all good people. So please don't take any of this too personally, but I've reached a point where I have to express my disappointment in the general lack of concern (and lack of recognition) for others that I see in our society.
I'm not a socialist or a hippy. I don't have one bumper sticker on my car, and this doesn't have anything to do with Barack Obama. But something has to change. It's not just about me.
Our community is full of compassionate, generous people, but I'm suggesting that perhaps we should act on those qualities more often. Everyone is always busy, and it's easy to be complacent or wrapped up in your own problems.
But in light of the current economy, I believe it's important to be as generous and thoughtful as possible, even if just with your time. I know it sounds sappy, but the only way to make the world a better place is (not to depend on the government, but) by being useful and through your interactions with other people.
Be the leader of your own movement. Pass on some kindness. And unless you want me showing up at your office all demanding and bossy with too much cleavage, check out my resume, and get back to me. Thanks!
