COUNTING ON YOU: 35 YEARS AGO AND TODAY

May 4 , 2020 /

COUNTING ON YOU: 35 YEARS AGO AND TODAY

“Those of us within certain traditions and cultures have, for centuries, had a commitment to using our talents and energies to help make things better.  We do this by living and working together in communities.

We must look at ourselves, our nation and the rest of the world, we must look at where we are, the work that we do and see if we are in harmony or out of tune. And wherever we sense or experience the possibility of concentrating our energy -that’s what work is, the concentration of energy – wherever we see that possibility to make a situation better, we can work together to make a difference, to make things happen.  It’s not only the big things, the global issues of hunger, world peace and unity, human rights and freedom, for which we work, but the little things that count too…the trust of young children, the doubt and skepticism of older children, the mystery of love, its patient permanence and incredible understanding – these things count for so very much.

We have many opportunities to concentrate our energies, to be one with each other, other people and events.  As I reflect on this work to which I am called, I am ever more certain that  our preparation of young people is preparation for life, not merely a college or university.  It is an exciting challenge and I am fortunate to have many able and enthusiastic colleagues. I look forward to our work together and I am counting on you to help make things better.”      GRG – September 22, 1985, Bryn Mawr, PA.

I am grateful that so many of my former students and colleagues have done exactly that for the past 50 years.  They have gone out and they continue to go out and help make things better.  I am proud and humbled to have been part of their journeys and I thank them for their enormous contributions.

 

 

Comments (4)

  1. Gary, you have made enormous contributions to making things better for all who have been fortunate to be in your realm. Whether celebrating or mourning, your kind and centered ability to be present always makes things better. Grateful for you.

  2. Thanks, Shirley. I consider it a privilege and an honor to be able to help when and where it’s needed. You have fostered those same values in your family which I have experienced first-hand. Appreciate you, your family and your generous and kind comment.

  3. Sooo. I looked at this, read it more than once, and tried to figure out the reference to 35 years ago and then it hit me… 1985. How was that 35 years ago when in so many ways it feels like yesterday? “Our preparation of young people is preparation for life.” Wise words, Gary. As a parent, I try to remember that daily. I went to a good college and followed a particular path. Letting go of my journey and supporting my children to find and walk their’s is paramount not for me but for them and our collective futures.

    Alli

  4. Thanks. Those were some observations I shared at a gathering on that date, Sept 22, 1985, and when I saw them again recently, I was struck with some possible relevance for today. The older generation is most often, in one way or another, preparing the younger folks for what lies ahead, hoping they will do better than we did. You do that as well with your contemporaries. I appreciate you and your support very much. All the best.
    G/

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