Safety Net Illusions
Who amongst us feels safe? But what does feeling safe actually mean? What is your definition of that feeling? Do we blind ourselves to our own reality into a false impression? Are we truly safe in the environment we create in our lives? Too often we are witness to the rampant homelessness in both our urban and suburban communities. When did they last feel safe? Rarely is a child born and raised in a cardboard box or tent into adulthood. At some point, they too felt safe. But all of us, everyone, want to feel the security of a home, family, friends and loved ones.
Several months ago my Father passed away. He was 98. Active until the end of his life. A little exercise and Jack Daniels was his daily routine. My Father worked everyday of his life in his professional career. Provided for my Mother and three Children. I felt safe and secure my entire life knowing that my parents were still around. At 56 years old I did not need them as a safety net, but it was there. I helped care for my aging Father until his passing. I became his safety net. The roles switched until his passing. It wasn’t intentional, it just was.
If I ask you to define what makes you feel safe in your life, what would your response be? Consequently, in what areas do you feel unsafe or unsecure? As human beings we have the ability to waste inordinate amounts of time in a state of worry. What if I lose my job? What if my health fails? What if my relationship ends?
A lesson which applies to everyone … You are on your own journey. Your parents, friends, children and others you encounter throughout your life are on their own journey. Parents will pass away, friends will move, children will grow up, significant others may leave you. Their decisions move them along in their journey. This sometimes creates pain for those who are left behind. Feeling of abandonment, loss, and sometimes anger. Our safety net shifts, changes or disappears.
Reliance on others in our small world is the fabric which creates our safety nets. Whether that be your spouse, friends or perhaps even government programs. As Bill Withers wrote in one of his most famous songs “Lean on Me, When you’re not strong, And I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on”. Today more than ever, we need to be someone who can provide a little safety for someone to lean on. Just knowing that someone is there, by email, phone, text, snapchat etc. can make all the difference in someone's day to feel a little better.
Perhaps today you can be there for someone to lean on. Perhaps you can provide support for someone struggling with a decision in their journey. Perhaps you can be the catalyst to help create some hope and subsequently make another one of your fellow travelers on this small earth feel a little more safe.
