Between the Extremes We Stand and Speak

Last updated on: February 14, 2015 at 3:33 pm by Nancy Qualls-Shehata

Between the Extremes We Stand and Speak 2015-02-14T15:33:28-05:00 Nancy Qualls-Shehata

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In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, The Merciful

Peace be upon you, and the blessings of Allah and His mercy

3 young people assassinated in Chapel Hill

200 women raped in Darfur

1 young man shot and killed in Ottowa

We don’t have to go farther than the breaking news apps on our phones to see that humanity is under siege. It is tempting to just give up, pull the blankets over our heads and refuse to come out. Who wants to participate in this harsh world? But if we give up and check out, we do a disservice to all those who need our help. We have to gird our loins and go forth into the world and work and volunteer and go to school, attend kids’ science fairs and masjid potlucks and city rezoning meetings. And yes, we have to take the kids to the park and laugh and play with them, and we have to laugh at funny videos our sister posts and we have to chase the chickens around the yard to put them in the coop before the bad weather arrives. We have to do laundry, and scrub the toilet, and figure out what’s for dinner, and commiserate with a friend whose cat got lost. We have to live. It is our duty to live.

But we don’t want to live an unconscious life, concerned only with our bank accounts and our bellies. We are conscious people, people who are aware of our place in this world, living in it but not for it, preparing for the best world after we are relieved of this one. So we have stuff we can do. I tell people time and again that the phrase “think globally, act locally” is true and important. There is so much we can do in our local communities. I know when you see the news you ache for the fact that you can’t scoop up that orphan in Syria or comfort that woman in Sudan or help rebuild that masjid in Houston, but you can and should help where you are. Your community has helpless, hopeless, hurting people and you have the ability to make a difference. You have a talent, a manner, a way of doing things that will be of benefit to someone.

Shovel a sidewalk free of snow for someone who can’t manage it

Volunteer at a women’s shelter

Cook for the local fire house or ambulance station

Knit or crochet scarves for the kids’ teachers

Collect coats for homeless men

Put together toiletries kits for a shelter

Set up a free lending library in front of your house

Visit a sick person in the hospital

Give respite care to an overwhelmed new parent or child of an older adult

If you feel like none of this is “enough”, not big enough or noble enough or important enough, you are wrong. Doing something is better than doing nothing, and a small something can be huge for the person you are helping and can have ripples that travel through space and time in a manner you can’t conceive. Do what you can and you will do more than you think you can.

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