“Service doesn’t start when you have something to give; it blossoms naturally when you have nothing left to take.” ~ Nipun Mehta
I saw this magazine cover at the grocery store just the other day—I
was there buying a card for my own son’s high school graduation
scheduled for the end of this week.
I was offended, quite so, actually, by
Time Magazine’s bold assertion—
that this generation, was the “Me Generation.”
I thought about my own son, who for years has faced challenges that
come with life and with living. By this label, he is also considered to
be part of this, our most selfish generation.
But, what does Time Magazine know of the many times my son has set
aside his own needs simply to help those ‘who needed it more.’
I think of that one Valentine’s Day, when I sat crying at the
table—my own, very abusive boyfriend having ‘forgotten’ me on that most
special day. My son, just barely nine years old bundled up in his best
winter clothes and spent the next hour trudging through the heavy snow.
And when he burst through that door, cheeks blistered red from the cold,
I knew he had done something most special. “Mommy, come look!”
And there it was, in the hillside where the snow was deepest, and
written in the largest letters I believe I have ever seen, a simple
gesture that meant the world to me. It said, “Happy Valentine’s Day,
Mom. I love you,” and for all of this world to see.
He could have easily just retreated to his room, unaware of the complexities of our ‘big person’ relationships.
Instead he braved the cold, and simply because he knew, I needed it more.
And, I remember the time when in the middle of the darkest night I
received that call, “Mom, you need to come get us now. Dad, doesn’t want
us here.” And when I arrived, there they stood, my son holding his
sister whose eyes were filled with tears—and carrying in his hands, a
plastic clothes basket filled with all of their most treasured
belongings. He could have easily cried, but he held his head
straightforward and high, and simply to be there for his sister.
Because she needed it more.
And when my health began this, it’s sharpest decline? My son was
right there, doing all the heavy jobs around the house—and without, not
once, ever having to be asked.
Why? Because he knew…how very much, I needed his support.
And now, on the occasion of him leaving this ‘nest’ and setting his
sails to another, brand new world—he has just one question on his mind,
that is, ‘How can I be of service to others?’
For
you see, when my son graduates, he won’t be sitting around,
self-absorbed into his video games. Rather, he will be swapping out his
kid clothes for that of a military uniform.
Why? Because, he knows this world needs it more.
Sadly, being of service doesn’t seem to sell as many magazines these days. However, I certainly won’t be buying this one.
Why? Because, I know the reality of my own son’s heart better than
any reporter living half-way across these United States might ever say.
Nipun
Mehta, who was recently ‘selected’ to deliver this year’s commencement
speech at The Harker School, an elite High School in San Jose, had this
to say,
“This week, Time Magazine’s cover story labeled you guys
as the “Me, Me, Me” generation; the week before, NY Times reported that
the suicide rate for Gen X went up by 30% in the last decade, and 50%
for the boomer generation. We’ve just learned that atmospheric carbon
levels surpassed 400 PPM for the first time in human history. Our
honeybee colonies are collapsing, thereby threatening the future of our
food supply. And all this is just the tip of the iceberg.
And as he paused to look over the sea of young face staring back from this crowd, he continued,
“What we’re handing over to you is a world full of
inspiring realities coupled with incredibly daunting ones. In other
words: miserable and magical isn’t just a pop-song lyric—it’s the
paradox that you are inheriting from us.”
Indeed, it is a daunting task—one that requires our loving-kindness
and support in helping this generation navigate those rough waters. And,
our job here is not ever done—rather, our job here has just begun.
“At the core of all of today’s most pressing challenges
is one fundamental issue: we have become profoundly disconnected. We’ve
forgotten how to rescue each other.”
Ironic, that this spiritual distance occurs in a world where Facebook has recently surpassed more than 150 billion connections.
And yet, we all know the capacity for loving-kindness and compassion
exists within each of us in so many ways. It’s part of our spiritual
DNA—that magical sequence of ‘coding’ that compels us to greatness in
times of hardship or tragedy.
“We know we have it because we saw it at Sandy Hook, in
the brave teachers who gave up their lives to save their students. We
saw it during the Boston Marathon when runners completed the race and
kept running to the nearest blood bank. We saw it just this week in
Oklahoma when a waiter at a fast food chain decided to donate all his
tips to the tornado relief efforts and triggered a chain of generosity.”
And why? Because, just like my son, they realized someone else needed it more.
I think Time Magazine has perhaps missed the mark on this one. We
don’t live in a “Me, Me, Me” generation—we just live in a world that is
awfully, very confusing.
And, our job here today—is to share a little of our own light each day with this world.
Why? Because, I believe
this generation needs it
more.
Video: The Most Inspirational Commencement Speech Ever.
