Causes

Facebook reminded me that my birthday was a month away and wouldn’t I like to raise money for a cause that was important to me. Gut reaction was: I wonder how big a cut Facebook takes from the donations? Since then I have been pondering: what causes are important to me?

Mental health is really important to me. Having cycled through deep depression a few times, I wish this was a cause that you could raise money for and resolve it. I’ve written before about how you can help when people you care about are in depression. Mostly, what I think you should do is to put the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number as a contact in your phone, and share that contact with others. If being able to call the hotline by asking Siri or another digital assistant makes a difference, and I think it might, please add them: (800) 273-8255 Hey, Siri, call the National Suicide Presentation Lifeline… Makes sense, right?

Comprehensive sexuality education is a volunteer activity that I have found rewarding for the past twenty years. I work mainly with high schoolers and giving my time and accurate information has made a difference in their lives as well as mine. You could donate money to the United Church of Christ or the Unitarian Universalist Association to support Our Whole Lives, or better yet, if you feel so called to serve, volunteer to be a facilitator in your UUA or UCC congregation.

I really enjoy bicycling, and I’ve really found bike lanes and bike paths make our neighborhoods better places to live. You can support that by joining the League of American Bicyclists, vote for millages that expand bicycling infrastructure, or riding your bike. What I really wish is that people wouldn’t use their mobile phones while driving, and pay attention to us vulnerable users of the roads we use in common. If you want to get a sense of what it feels like to be passed by a motorist at speed, stand on a curb along a roadway where the speed limit is 45 mph or higher. Does it make you nervous? Is it better when the motorist is driving slower or a full lane away? If it is safe for you, slow down and give a lane to the bikes. You might get a mental gold star from the bicyclist you pass.

Maybe the cause that I’d really like to see is that people would be kind. I know that I’m not always kind. Usually, I feel badly when I’m not as kind as I could be, and I try to do better. I know I get bothered when people that drive act like they’re the only ones on the road. Or I might reply to an email without giving more thought to my words.

So perhaps that’s my cause. Be kind to one another. No great sums of money need to be raised. Make space for cars to merge on the highway, even the ones that blow past and cut in at the last second. Let that angry email go, and don’t reply, or certainly don’t reply right away. Take a walk to pick up trash. Smile. Show your love.