Active Hands And Open Hearts

9:00am | During the past two years I’ve spent many hours working to help define and communicate the mission, purpose and goals of We Love Long Beach (WLLB). I tend to be a critical person and have felt plagued at times by my inability to succinctly answer the question, what is We Love Long Beach? In short, WLLB is a non-profit organization working to inspire the people of Long Beach to care for and serve each other. The full answer sounds more like this: I start with our mission statement – To know and serve the people, the neighborhoods and the city of Long Beach; I mention the universal, human longing for relationships, justice and beauty; I share our strategic plan to improve Service Learning Education, Neighborhoods and Partnerships citywide; I describe the last event we had and how it helps to realize our goals; And then, if I remember, I like to include the disclaimer that WLLB is non-political, non-religious and trying to be non-cynical.

We are non-political partly because a 501(c)(3) non-profit is not allowed to endorse or contribute to political campaigns or parties. There are similar limitations when it comes to supporting laws, bills and propositions. The internal reason, though, has more to do with the fact that politics, like religion, is something that people have used for centuries to foster and maintain significant divisions between each other. Our current political climate is no exception. When and where are we willing to give each other the benefit of the doubt? Why is mockery preferable to listening? Where’s the honor in conquering an army of “straw men”? There is none.

As an organization, we reserve the right to actively partner with council members, city officials and anyone else in this city, regardless of their politics, who shares our desire to benefit the people of every Long Beach neighborhood. We encourage you to be informed and involved. We think your understanding and experiences should provide a reasonable foundation for your personal convictions. We even believe it is your civic duty and privilege to voice your opinion and elect qualified leaders. More importantly though, we ask you to reconsider and abandon those personal convictions that allow you to disparage, mock, insult, hate or attack the people who don’t see things the way you do.

For similar reasons, We Love Long Beach is also “non-religious”. We value and encourage the work of organizations and people who serve others because of the religious convictions they hold. At the same time we recognize and applaud the selfless efforts of people who see “faith” and service to others as separate things. The constant for us is service. Our desire is that likeminded people throughout this city will find a way to suspend their judgment of one another long enough to realize the value of their differences.

I’m sure you noted earlier that “trying to be non-cynical” presupposes some level of cynicism. Personally speaking, there are times when I am indeed cynical and I’m willing to bet that you are too. It’s hard not to be. We each have a growing list of “friends”, family members and group affiliations that have failed to deliver on their promises. If you’re like me, you probably find yourself feeling cynical simply because you can’t find enough examples to the contrary. It’s ultimately easier to be disengaged and feel completely justified, but it becomes difficult to do so when you stop to imagine how many times your name is showing up on the lists of others.

Cynicism has a debilitating impact on the quality of our relationships, neighborhoods and the city at large. Why? Cynical people don’t contribute. They are content to do little more than lament the way things are and criticize the efforts of others. This city is full of people and problems that need help. They need active hands and open hearts that are capable of providing dignity and hope, training and clothes, medical services and food.

Cynicism only exists within our hearts and minds. It is an easy addiction that can only be overcome by voluntary self-discipline. It’s not external, like cigarettes and alcohol, which someone else can hinder or prevent you from participating in. Each of us has the choice, to see ourselves as victims in need, or as willing participants in the change we hope to see in our city.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

– Adam Ferry – Director of Development, WLLB.