"IT'S NOT MY JOB TO LOOK OUT FOR ANYONE BUT THE PEOPLE I CARE ABOUT. IT'S NOT MY JOB TO SAVE THE WORLD," said the guy who was sitting next to me at a Houston Airport food court. He was responding to my question,"Do you feel any sense of obligation to help people who are in need?" He seemed so certain, so matter-of-fact in his answer.
I started thinking about the many people I've encountered, or heard about, lately who share this man's belief. For instance, a woman's car died out in the middle of a major intersection, and she had four young girls in the car with her. I got out of my car to help her, and gestured for several of the men in nearby cars to help me push this woman's automobile to a nearby parking lot. NONE OF THEM GOT OUT OF THEIR CARS TO HELP. NOT ONE! They did everything they could to avoid making eye contact with me. To be completely honest, if I hadn't been so preoccupied with helping that woman, I could have snatched every single one of those men out of their cars to teach them a little something about manhood! God knows.
Then I heard about the two security guards who watched a young lady get beaten and stomped and yet did nothing to help her. When asked why they didn't do anything, they said something like, "it wasn't our job. We were off duty." The company has since changed their policy.
These incidents, and many, many others like them have caused me to question what is happening to our world. They have given me a much more sober view of the hearts of mankind, and have caused me to have a much greater, deeper appreciation for those people who go out of their way to help others.
One such person is Terry Booty, the Founder and CEO of Urban Farmers. For years, Terry has been building resorts, villas, and high-rise luxury hotels for Marriott. However, years ago, Terry became concerned at how the appearance of many inner-city neighborhoods negatively affected the self-perceptions of the people who live in those communities. So he had a vision of using his background in architectural design and real estate development to transform inner-city neighborhoods wrought with foreclosures and abandoned lots into beautiful havens of hope.
What's equally impressive is that he is hiring and training ex-felons who grew up in those neighborhoods to do the work. He is teaching them to build a house FROM SCRATCH. Terry brings in plumbers, landscapers, electricians, and many others to work very closely with the men, training them to become proficient in every area of home-building.
Furthermore, every Friday, Terry arranges for the guys to sit in on a Life Coaching Seminars in which the men are engaged, enlightened, and empowered to make the most of the opportunities being given to them. That's why I'm in Florida right now. Tomorrow, I will be spending the day with the guys to give them some practical tools to maximize their potential. Today, I spent all day with them at one of the homes they're building, and got to know a little bit about them. "Pat," "Vern," "Street," and "O" are fantastic guys. O, short for Owen, shared with me that he was locked up since he was 15 years old for killing a man who was beating his mother. He has paid his debt to society. O is now 32, on his first job, trying to get his life back. Terry isn't just building homes; he's building people.
Terry doesn't have to do it. He is getting very lucrative job offers to travel the world and do what he does best. However, he has decided to give his life to something bigger than himself. He wants to leave this world better than he found it. "I can't take anything with me when I die, Manny. All that matters is that I live a life that honors God, helping others along the way." Terry has a peace that I haven't seen in him before.
So, even though many, if not most, people in the world are only concerned about themselves, there are still those individuals, like Terry, who are going out of their way to give others hope, and living a life that matters. Poverty isn't just about lacking money; it is lacking ACCESS to the kinds of people who can help you make the most of your life. Terry is one of those people bringing people out of poverty, lifting others as he climbs, and I'm honored to call him my brother.
My friends, do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as you can. It's good for your soul.
