Tuesday, December 22, 2009

What are we looking for in others?

Have you seen the video where a couple of teams are passing around a basketball and the viewers are asked to count the number of passes between one of the teams? If you haven't I'd highly recommend it. You may view it on YouTube .

While this short British video was produced as part of a campaign to encourage people to watch out for bikes I think it also serves another purpose. It reminds us of how when we focus on certain things we're looking for we might miss other very important or obvious things.

Its easy for us to look at young people from disadvantaged circumstances and see all that might be lacking in terms of social skills, etc. When we are looking to reinforce our world view and stereotypes of "at risk" youth may miss the wealth of assets and strengths they bring. The same might also be true of our peception of our elders.

In our interactions with others let's focus our attention on the unique strengths and abilities they have to share with the world. Next time you're at the mall or see some teens hanging out, I'd encourage you to greet them with a smile! It might even help reduce their negative stereotype of adults.

I'm thankful for all the mentors, coaches, teachers and active neighbors who are helping young people realize their God given potential!

Oh yes, let's also watch out for bikes too! I was hit earlier this year by a car while riding my bike. The driver simply didn't notice me.

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