Who Are You; The Mayor or The Mom?

I’m as flawed of a man as the next guy which is why in general I avoid making inflammatory posts on Facebook. Something though has happened that’s caused me to throw caution to the wind; Baltimore.

How I feel regarding the ridiculous situation in Baltimore can be best summarized by the dichotomy of its Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings, and its city’s most famous “pissed off Mom.” If you haven’t seen the video of a mom going to town on her teenage son who she caught rioting, here’s what I can tell you about it. It’s an extreme reaction, to an extreme situation, that was extremely out of hand. In other words, it was the polar opposite of the press conference the Mayor held at roughly the exact same time.

Where the Mayor’s press conference demonstrated almost complete apathy during a time of crisis, this viral video mom showed the power of love in the same situation. I’m not sure if anything would have stopped the rioting but here’s what I am sure of. That mom’s actions demonstrated tough love at a crucial moment which was exactly the opposite message the Mayors news conference conveyed. I think we all can learn from both of their examples when it comes to how we lead, or not, our own lives.

When you love something so unconditionally, when you believe in something so passionately you’re willing to fight for it tooth-and-nail, you come out swinging. When you come out swinging your chances of success in whatever you do go way, way up! Apathy on the other hand nullifies the often herculean efforts needed to rectify any situation.

I don’t ever want to be part of the problem and when I find that I can’t be part of the solution I distance myself from the situation. Simply put, I won’t allow myself to be apathetic about a situation, and stay involved. Yet everyday people apathetically go through the motions of life while complaining what those very motions are producing in their lives. It’s a broken model, and if you want it to change then start by being the change in your world you want. Lose the apathy and come out swinging or don’t expect a different results then what you get!

Baltimore’s Mayor went through the motions in the press conference starting out by very unemotionally thanking the Chief of Police and various Aldermen to kick-off the most important press conference she ever gave. Really?! Listening to her was like watching paint dry as her town was burning around her!

On the other hand, that mom saw her boy on TV and took immediate and unmistakable action to be part of the solution and not the problem. Debate her use of physical force or words all you want, but don’t question her love.

Who had more riding on their efforts; the Mayor or the mom? One said they loved, the other showed their love. What’s more powerful, actions or words?

You get in life what you give in life. Give half-hearted effort, get half-hearted results. Give your heart, and you have a better chance of winning hearts to your cause. If the people of Baltimore have lost heart it wouldn’t be hard for me to see why.

Carpe Diem