Lift Up the Hands That Hang Down

So, I must make a confession.

Two, actually.

The first is that this post was not really written on 11/11/11.

*Gasp!*

I know.

There's this great thing called a date editor.

And it has indulged my failure to post on that epic binary date.

Second, I'm secretly relieved that my son wasn't born on 11/11/11.

I'm still trying to crank out a 40-page research paper and I'm a little...er...behind.

Procrastinating perfectionism is undoubtedly the bane of my secrets for success.

I'm one of those people that needs pressure and looming deadlines to really focus.

I can't say that it works wonders for the cortisone levels in my body.

But, let's be honest here, after 30 years like this, I just don't know that a whole lot is going to change.

I am a creature of terrible habits.

So, but back to my paper:

As the holidays approach, a lot of us turn our thoughts to the do-good, feel-good deeds of the season.

And rightly so--'tis the season!

Most of us with in the read of my post have been blessed beyond measure, and will openly admit that.

During this time of year, we find ourselves compelled in some way to return to humanity a portion of the bounty that has, in relative effortlessness, been granted to us.

(I do know that there's been a lot of hard work, study and character building that has fruitfully enhanced many of our positions in this life.

But.

Really,

I think most of us can attribute the abundance of our lives to being born at the right time, into the right place and to the right people.

And whatever pre-mortal effort from which that may possibly have stemmed has long-since been veiled from memory.

Hence, we find ourselves where we are with relative effortlessness.)

Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky.

(And this is where I get to the part about my paper.)

So recently, I've been studying the effects of poverty on learning and performance in the workplace.

I've sifted through something like 80 academic articles and a number of books.

Whoopee.  Believe me, I know.

But, what I've been learning has been extremely interesting to me.

And even enlightening.

At one point, I finished reading a portion of the book Working Poor by David Shipler, and I was outright depressed.

After reading about the lives of so many people stuck in the generational throes of poverty, I felt miserable.

And then the thought came to me:

Poverty is damning.

There is little room for progression of any kind when one is stuck in the undertow of the destructive current of poverty.

Granted, some people find themselves in that situation because of choices they have made.

But a greater portion of those people suffer from the choices others have made.

And then I thought of Jesus Christ's admonition to help the poor and needy, to strengthen the feeble knees and to lift up the hands that hang down.

I've generally thought of this as a temporal duty--you know--giving people food to eat, clothes to wear, a place to sleep.

Because, of course, we need these things for survival.

And it is worthy to want to help others survive.

But, in that moment, my mind was opened to a greater purpose:

We need to succor those who suffer because, without our aid, they cannot become.

They need those things (and true emotional support) to reach their full potential as individuals.

Anyone who has ever taken a Psychology class will remember Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs--ranging from physical needs at the base to self-actualization at the apex.

A person can't reach their self-actualized apex if their very basic needs are lacking.

In that moment, I realized that while it is worthy to help others survive, it is divine to help others progress.

And, so, this holiday season, I hope to spend more time doing good--certainly to feel good--but truly to help others reach the good that is within them.