I hope that you had an amazing weekend.
News
I received an email early last week asking me if I could help out a worthy cause. I checked it out and decided that I would.
Here is the info:
The Westfall Foundation has launched a new campaign titled “Commit To Your
Health”. With the release of a series of fitness and exercise DVDs,
the campaign is geared towards raising awareness for those who suffer
from Friedreich’s Ataxia, which is a rare inherited disease
Kerry Westfall himself performs all exercises while in his
wheelchair; however he made it a solid point to produce a DVD where
people who are not in need of a wheelchair may also perform all
exercises. The video absolutely amazing and the foundation sells them
in order to raise funds to cure Friedreich’s Ataxia.
Kerry Westfall was diagnosed at a young age with the debilitating
disease called Friedreich’s Ataxia. Friedreich's Ataxia (also
called FA or FRDA) is a rare inherited disease that causes nervous
system damage and movement problems. Symptoms of FA include pain,
shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. Though impaired by this
disease and wheelchair bound, having FA did not discourage Kerry from
trying to lead a normal life.
For more information on the “Commit to your health” campaign, to
obtain a DVD or donate to the Westfall Foundation cause please visit:
http://cts.vresp.com/c/?
You can also view a 5 minute trailer for the DVD at the link above.
About the Westfall Foundation
The Westfall Foundation is a national 501(C)(3) tax-deductible
charity. The Westfall Foundation is dedicated to the pursuit of
funding medical research leading to treatments, cures and an overall
better understanding of neuromuscular and Central Nervous System
(CNS) diseases, such as Friedreich’s Ataxia, Multiple Scleroses and
Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s diseases. The Westfall Foundation`s
mission is to award grants which contribute to finding cures and
effective treatments for the mentioned diseases. The Westfall
Foundation understands the power of people, thus our second objective
is to fund other 501(C)(3) organizations who are actively sponsoring
research initiatives to find effective treatments for diseases
classified as neuromuscular and neurodegenerative, as well as CNS
diseases, such as Alzheimer`s and Parkinson’s disease.
Why am I sharing this?
Well a very close friend of my family has muscular dystrophy and when I was growing up I saw first hand at what it did to him. Over the last 25 years he went from being able to walk to not being able to do anything on his own. Doctors say that he will die soon.
If you purchase the DVD, your money will go to charity. You can also donate your time and/or money to the Westfall Foundation.
Quote
"Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances."
-Wayne Dyer
My Thoughts
It is so easy sometimes for us to judge others. We look at people and determine good/bad, right/wrong, beautiful/ugly, smart/stupid, etc... Oftentimes we do this to people that we've never met. We hear a rumor or a news story and judge them.
Recently, this has happened with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Tiger Woods. I heard someone say recently how idiotic they both are and that they would never do that. Really? I asked this individual if he had ever been put in a similar situation as them and he said no. I wondered how would he respond if placed in even a remotely similar situation. Would he hold the moral high ground? Or would he give in to temptation?
Now don't get me wrong I am not condoning their actions, but there is always more to the story. We will never know 100% what lead them to their current situation.
Of course I haven't mentioned about not placing people on pedestals. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has their own challenges to face. But that is for another week.
I'd like to share a story with you.
My younger brother was shot in the chest last week. He managed to survive and somehow wasn't seriously injured. I don't have all the details yet, but apparently it was a set up to steal his drugs and cash. One guy approached him to buy drugs and he went somewhere with him. As the transaction took place the guy attempted to fight with my brother and another guy stepped out from behind a wall and shot my brother in the chest.
This happened minutes away from where we grew up in Philadelphia. Besides getting shot in the chest the other disappointing news is that evidently my brother is back to dealing again. He will turn 27 this year and if he lives to be 30 I would be amazed. Remember 2 months ago he had his faced smashed in with a club. Assuming he doesn't get killed first, I have a feeling he will end up in prison again soon.
Now it would be very easy for me to judge him. Call him a moron and point out reasons why he is a moron. This is the approach the rest of my family has taken. This approach hasn't worked in the past and it won't work now.
What he needs is:
1. A program that can show him with real world examples that their is a different way out and tools which will enable him to have lasting change.
2. A strong support group
3. He needs to relocate.
When he got out of prison in 2009, I called him everyday and provided him some basic coaching plus I was the real world example for him. However, I couldn't provide the other two factors that he would need to have a serious shot at getting better.
He hit bottom in 2009, but now that shock has worn off and he is back to his old ways so before a program like I mentioned above would be effective he would need to hit bottom again. For most people getting shot in the chest would do that, but unfortunately for him I don't think it has.
The point of this is that somewhere inside of him he still has goodness left. By judging him we are not able to come up with potential ways to benefit him and society. Judging others clouds our thinking and pushes us apart.
I encourage all of you to try and understand others instead of judging them. In doing this you will also learn a great deal about yourself.
Have an incredible week.
Bob
No comments:
Post a Comment