Local help is available, please take it<\/p>\n
As someone who has seen the vastness of the need arising in our local community for help coping through COVID-19\u2019s economic reality, and generally being aware of the amount of aid distributed to my friends, neighbors, and community members through the city, county, and the federal government, I wanted to write this note.<\/p>\n
Not many of us are used to receiving such help.<\/p>\n
The vast majority of us are used to working hard and balancing our quality of life desires with the demands of family, financial obligations, career, friends, and many other spokes of the wheel that make up life. Because of this, receiving aid graciously may be hard and may feel like you are swallowing your pride, or could be increasing your worries for the future of our country and community. Please do not feel this way.<\/p>\n
For those who find receiving the money hard, I would instead like to gently encourage you to consider contemplating (or better, journaling) a constructive way to handle this. I offer this prompt only if it helps you find dignity, meaningfulness, and to emotionally acknowledge receiving may be hard for you. I do not suggest this out of any moral judgments on fairness and equitability; obligations to the government; and certainly not to place further demands on my friends during these hard times \u2013 even if you may consider them valid reasons. I came to the thought of writing this in the course of reading an article on happiness and behavioral science, and from wishing everyone a happy, healthy way to sail through these rough waters together, and to help build long-term goodwill within our special, local community.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s the prompt:<\/p>\n
What are some ways you can \u201cpay it forward\u201d or \u201cgive back\u201d to the community later? Why would that be better for you personally, than doing nothing?<\/p>\n
Misheel Chuluun<\/p>\n
Aspen<\/p>\n