Looking for a Way UP

It seems as it will never end... all the senseless violence, crime, drug use and the indifference people are showing in the wake of more of the same old stuff each week.  It appears if we have lost our way or will in solving problems and getting things done for the good of society and future generations.  I know that a lot has changed within our great nation and more change is on its way, but the solutions we seek and so rightly deserve are in our hands; however we must have the courage to act upon our values and use some sound judgement. 

To all those who have never lost anyone to gun violence, drug use, mental illness, lived in an urban war zone, worked in a hostile environment, grew up in a dysfunctional family or served in the US military... then it is impossible to clearly understand what it means to be on the front lines or in the trenches of society when it matters the most.  As my late grandmother would say...“seeing is the believing, but experience is the knowing.”  In other words, if you have not seen or gone through something that has altered your life, then trying to judge other people who have to live with the reality of what is happening; then you are simply out of sight and out of mind. 


What people who live in urban America really need and that will make the greatest difference in their lives is not a hand out...but a hand up.  The helping hand they seek is the one that enables them to take control of their communities, begin to take the next step in opening a business, to clear the hurdle towards meaningful employment, build bridges to strengthen relationships with neighbors or to climb the ladder of corporate America.  It is to enable people to pull themselves up by seeing that they too can make it regardless of where they come from and the color of their skin.  It is to know that the situation that has them trapped caused by circumstances, a lack of opportunities and resources are obstacles that can be overcome.  So, can you lend me a hand?