"PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS"

In the past, today's date, August 26th, has had some very momentous occurrences that affected millions of people over the course of many years. In 1934, Adolf Hitler demanded France turn over their Saar region to Germany, just one of many actions setting the wheels in motion leading to WWII.  In 1944, after years of occupation, war and deprivations for his country and fellow citizens, DeGaulle was finally able to enter a free Paris, the day after it had been liberated.  In 1945, the Japanese were given surrender instructions on the U.S. battleship Missouri at the end of World War II.   Two decades later, in 1961, all crossing points into East Germany were formally closed from West Berlin citizens, following the culmination of the construction of the Berlin Wall, which had begun a couple of weeks earlier.  For the next 29 years, the Berlin Wall would divide not only a country and it's citizens, but also families. It would also lead to countless attempts at escape, close calls and numerous deaths.

Just think, none of this would have been necessary, if a few men in leadership had had positive childhoods in which they were able to fully internalize being a good useful citizen that learned to do good and to look out for his countrymen, instead of being responsible for the deaths of millions.  If only, they had embraced the lesson "plays well with others".  We may not always know what happens in the future to the lives of people whose lives we have touched.  But if we vow to make a positive difference in the lives of others, we can give up our worries and know we did our best.  

Children need parents, teachers, and adults that truly care about them.  They need positive reinforcement, nurturing, dreams, and goals.  We need to stop being a divided country and realize that all children deserve a good education and a starting foundation.  Because the world does not need any more Hitlers or Stalins.  Instead of worrying about who's red and who's blue, we need government leaders that "play well with others".  We ourselves need to "play well with others". And then maybe, just maybe, we can concentrate on the real business of living with inspiration. Just think what we could accomplish when we're not concentrating on what divides us. The possibilities are endless!            Elaine Bellamy