Blake Mycoskie is a thirty-something entrepreneur from Texas who made friends with local children while traveling in Argentina in 2006. When he learned that they walked barefoot because they had no shoes, he looked more deeply into the problem. As it turned out, the lack of shoes created serious hardship. Their feet were vulnerable to cuts and scrapes and often infected with potentially dangerous soil-transmitted diseases. Equally worrisome, many local schools required all children to wear shoes in order to attend... so kids without shoes were unable get the education that would have helped to lift them (and their communities) out of poverty.
Mycoskie didn’t know much about philanthropy four years ago, but he was generous and savvy enough to realize the potential long-term impact of giving shoes to these children. He created his company TOMS shoes with the idea that for every single pair of shoes purchased, another pair of shoes would be donated to a child in need. In the first year of his project Mycoskie was able to donate 10,000 pairs of shoes to children in Argentina. Since that time, his comfortable and lightweight TOMS espadrille-style shoes have caught on within the fashion world and with philanthropically minded consumers. As of September 2010, TOMS had donated over one million pairs of shoes to children worldwide. The really remarkable part of Mycoskie’s idea is that thanks to the for-profit design of his organization, as long as first world clients continue buying his products there will always be a plentiful supply of shoes to continue giving to the children as their feet continue to grow.
Human nature often gets a bad rap but it truly has very bright sides. Mycoskie and TOMS represent just one inspiring story among millions. Every day people around the world work - sometimes at great personal expense and sacrifice - to contribute to the well being of others in a positive way. Whether volunteering as aid workers or peacekeepers in war-torn situations, bringing sanitation and medical care to remote areas in impoverished nations, coordinating natural disaster relief or simply serving soup at a local homeless shelter, an enormous cross-section of the human population follows their “calling” toward professional pursuits that revolve around compassion and a sense of shared humanity. These folks often give up the opportunity for stability and larger paychecks for the reward of knowing that their hours and days are devoted to something honorable and worthy.
My family lives in a military town and although my husband is not in the military, I’ve developed enormous respect and appreciation for what military families give back to the world. Whether or not they always believe in the wars they are asked to fight or missions they are given, these men and women who loyally serve have basically volunteered to make the ultimate possible sacrifice for their country and their fellow citizens. They are willing to put themselves in the line of fire and even die in order to protect and defend the rest of us. I’ve also learned that the military plays other roles beyond fighting and protecting; to name just a few they build schools and bridges, protect victims of genocide and provide peacekeeping in hellish situations.
Unless they are ranking officers, enlisted folk are typically not highly paid and from what I can see as a civilian, they are asked to deploy - e.g. move to a new city/country every 2 - 3 years for decades in order to successfully complete their career. This is especially hard on the families. All of our military friends have children and it takes an enormous toll on military spouses and children to leave behind their homes, schools, friends, activities, lifestyles and even identities every few years to start over again. Fathers and mothers are separated from their families for long periods of time while deployed and many of my friends’ children are growing up communicating with one of their parents mainly on Skype because the mom or dad is stationed half a world away. No-one could argue that military families are 'in it for the money', because frankly it doesn’t seem like Uncle Sam pays all that well. At core, it comes down to having a good heart, being brave and open to adventure.
Working for the greater good seems to be one of the most important and beautiful parts of being human. If you ask a teacher why he or she teaches, they are likely to tell you that they could not imagine working in any other profession despite the long hours, stress and lack of a lucrative salary. Giving often brings a deep sense of purpose and meaning to lives that might otherwise feel empty or unfulfilled. The satisfaction that comes with knowing that you have actually helped another living creature (and maybe even changed the course of their life) is remarkable. I cannot imagine that there is any substance in the world that can make a person feel as genuinely contented or connected.
Mother Teresa once said, “I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people and, in fact, to do good to them. This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts.” She also shared the deeper truth: “I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love”.
No comments:
Post a Comment