Right now the lesson that neglect leads to loss is playing on the United States stage. It is a story of a President and his team that neglected to do their job by the American people resulting in lost lives, livelihoods, money, time, good living, and potential. Unlike good leaders, Trump attempted to talk, blame, and shame the pandemic away, which are the actions of neglect, not actions of good leadership and positive change.
In our world, we can see the effects of neglect everywhere if we look for it. Starting at home, we see the effects of neglected household chores. Most of us have felt the pain of lost relationships due to neglect. Right now, the pandemic is bringing to light the neglect with regard to educational buildings and the environment are having on schooling during a pandemic. Teachers see the long term suffering of neglected children too. Immigration issues, to a large part, are issues created by the neglect of human and environmental needs, and pollution certainly is the result of our negligence when it comes to updating our systems, sources of energy, and ways of living to mitigate the effects of industrialization, big agriculture, transportation, and climate change.
As I think about neglect today, I am thinking about the ways I neglect my own needs, household chores, people I love, and the work to meet my own potential. I am also thinking about the neglect in society that results in pain or loss. We ache when we read stories of neglected children and the long lasting impact that has on their lives and the lives of those they connect with, live with, and love.
There are many ways we can work against neglect. For ourselves and our environments, we can live with positive routines and work to share the knowledge, time, and energy we have to work against neglect.
In society, we can choose bright, invested leaders who won't neglect the serious duties of their jobs and who will work with us and other leaders to lay paths to good living for all. We can urge our community members to get the needed community jobs done and also work to meet the wonderful potential for happy, healthy living in every community.
To work against neglect is to work for good living and potential We can all do this because neglect leads to life-challenging and expensive pain and loss.