Chicken Soup for the Soul of America (29 page)

There were elderly people in our town. Through this program, we could watch out for them. Our block captains could have their phone numbers and contact them if we needed to be evacuated. They would know they were not alone. There were mothers who worked outside the community. We could have their work phone numbers and if there was an emergency, we would get in touch with them so that they would not worry about their children. We could have “safe houses,” marked so that the children would know which house to stop at if a problem arose on their way home from school. We could meet once a week or once a month to discuss the news and upgrade our own program. We could get to know each other and each other's needs. No one would be a stranger in our town.

The terrorists settled their nests in communities where neighbors didn't know neighbors, or if they did, they didn't care. They knew our habits but we didn't know theirs. We worked, we played, we enjoyed life. We were unaware we were being watched. They watched us but we didn't watch them. They thought they knew us. They thought we were unchangeable. That night we discovered our most important weapon against them: neighbors knowing neighbors. Neighbors caring about one another. Neighbors helping one another.

And if terrorists are looking for a place in which to settle, they'll have to find another town.

This one isn't available.

Harriet May Savitz

Is This Normal?

I
learned that it is possible for us to create light and sound and order within us, no matter what calamity may befall us in the outer world.

Helen Keller

September 11, 2001. Four thousand gathered for midday prayer in a downtown cathedral. A New York City church filled and emptied six times that Tuesday.

The owner of a Manhattan tennis shoe store threw open his doors and gave running shoes to those fleeing the towers. People stood in lines to give blood, in hospitals to treat the sick, in sanctuaries to pray for the wounded.

America was different this week.

We wept for people we did not know. We sent money to families we've never seen. Talk-show hosts read scriptures, journalists printed prayers. Our focus shifted from fashion hemlines and box scores to orphans and widows and the future of the world.

We were different this week.

Republicans stood next to Democrats, Catholics prayed with Jews. Skin color was covered by the ash of burning towers.

This is a different country than it was a week ago. We're not as self-centered as we were. We're not as self-reliant as we were. Hands are out. Knees are bent. This is not normal.

And I have to ask the question, do we want to go back to normal? Are we being given a glimpse of a new way of life? Are we, as a nation, being reminded that the enemy is not each other and the power is not in ourselves and the future is not in our bank accounts? Unselfish prayerfulness is the way God intended for us to live all along.

Maybe this, in his eyes, is the way we are called to live our entire lives. And perhaps the best response to this tragedy is to refuse to go back to normal. Perhaps the best response is to follow the example of Tom Burnett. He was a passenger on Flight 93. Minutes before the plane crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania he reached his wife by cell phone. “We're all going to die,” he told her, “but there are three of us who are going to do something about it.”

We can do something about it as well. We can resolve to care more. We can resolve to pray more. And we can resolve that, with God being our helper, we'll never go back to normal again.

Max Lucado

Reprinted with permission of Bruce Beattie. ©2001 Copley News Service.

Act Two

The date is June 24, 1859. Atop a hill overlooking the plain of Solferino, Jean-Henri Dunant has a box seat view as Napoleon's troops prepare for battle with the Austrians below. Trumpets blare, muskets crack and cannons boom.

The two armies crash into each other as Dunant looks on, transfixed. He sees the dust rising. He hears the screams of the injured. He watches bleeding, maimed men take their last breaths as he stares in horror. Dunant doesn't mean to be there. He is only on a business trip—to speak to Napoleon about a financial transaction between the Swiss and the French. But he arrived late and now finds himself in a position to witness firsthand the atrocities of war.

What Dunant sees from his hill, however, pales in comparison to what he is soon to witness. Entering a small town shortly after the fierce encounter, Dunant now observes the battle's refugees. Every building is filled with the mangled, the injured, the dead. Dunant, aching with pity, decides to stay in the village three more days to comfort the young soldiers.

He realizes that his life will never be the same again. Driven by a powerful passion to abolish war, Jean-Henri Dunant will eventually lose his successful banking career and all his worldly possessions to die as a virtual unknown in an obscure poorhouse.

But we remember Dunant today because he was the first recipient, in 1901, of the Nobel Peace Prize. We also remember him because of the movement he founded—the Red Cross.

Act One of Jean-Henri Dunant's life closed June 24, 1859. Act Two opened immediately and played the remainder of his eighty-one years.

Many people's lives can be divided into two acts. The first act ends when one decides to follow a new direction or passion. Dunant's old life, driven by financial success, prestige and power, no longer satisfied him. A new Jean-Henri Dunant emerged in the second act of his life, a man who was now motivated by love, compassion and an overriding commitment to abolish the horrors of war.

The second act of some people's lives may begin with a conversion or a major turning point. Others speak of a defining moment. The old self is laid to rest and a new self is born—one governed by principle, spirit and passion. You may be ready for Act Two. It is the final scene of a life that counts.

Steve Goodier

We shall go forward
together. The road upward is strong. There are upon our journey, dark and dangerous valleys through which we have to make and fight our way. But it is sure and certain that if we persevere, and we shall persevere, we shall come through dark and dangerous valleys into sunlight broader and more genial and more lasting than mankind has ever known.

Winston Churchill

Who Is Jack Canfield?

Jack Canfield is one of America's leading experts in the development of human potential and personal effectiveness. He is both a dynamic, entertaining speaker and a highly sought-after trainer. Jack has a wonderful ability to inform and inspire audiences toward increased levels of self-esteem and peak performance
.

He is the author and narrator of several bestselling audio and videocassette programs, including
Self-Esteem and Peak Performance, How to Build High Self-Esteem, Self-Esteem in the Classroom
and
Chicken Soup for the Soul—Live.
He is regularly seen on television shows such as
Good Morning America, 20/20
and
NBC Nightly News.
Jack has coauthored numerous books, including the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series,
Dare to Win
and
The Aladdin Factor
(all with Mark Victor Hansen),
100 Ways to Build Self-Concept in the Classroom
(with Harold C. Wells),
Heart at Work
(with Jacqueline Miller) and
The Power of Focus
(with Les Hewitt and Mark Victor Hansen).

Jack is a regularly featured speaker for professional associations, school districts, government agencies, churches, hospitals, sales organizations and corporations. His clients have included the American Dental Association, the American Management Association, AT&T, Campbell's Soup, Clairol, Domino's Pizza, GE, ITT, Hartford Insurance, Johnson & Johnson, the Million Dollar Roundtable, NCR, New England Telephone, Re/Max, Scott Paper, TRW and Virgin Records. Jack is also on the faculty of Income Builders International, a school for entrepreneurs.

Jack conducts an annual eight-day Training of Trainers program in the areas of self-esteem and peak performance. It attracts educators, counselors, parenting trainers, corporate trainers, professional speakers, ministers and others interested in developing their speaking and seminar-leading skills.

For further information about Jack's books, tapes and training programs, or to schedule him for a presentation, please contact:

Self-Esteem Seminars
P.O. Box 30880
Santa Barbara, CA 93130
Phone: 805-563-2935 • Fax: 805-563-2945
Web site:
www.chickensoup.com

Who Is Mark Victor Hansen?

Mark Victor Hansen is a professional speaker who in the last twenty years has made over 4,000 presentations to more than 2 million people in thirty-two countries. His presentations cover sales excellence and strategies; personal empowerment and development; and how to triple your income and double your time off.

Mark has spent a lifetime dedicated to his mission of making a profound and positive difference in people's lives. Throughout his career, he has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to create a more powerful and purposeful future for themselves while stimulating the sale of billions of dollars worth of goods and services.

Mark is a prolific writer and has authored
Future Diary, How to Achieve Total Prosperity
and
The Miracle of Tithing.
He is coauthor of the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
series,
Dare to Win
and
The Aladdin Factor
(all with Jack Canfield), and
The Master Motivator
(with Joe Batten).

Mark has also produced a complete library of personal-empowerment audio and videocassette programs that have enabled his listeners to recognize and use their innate abilities in their business and personal lives. His message has made him a popular television and radio personality, with appearances on ABC, NBC, CBS, HBO, PBS and CNN. He has also appeared on the cover of numerous magazines, including
Success, Entrepreneur
and
Changes.

Mark is a big man with a heart and spirit to match—an inspiration to all who seek to better themselves.

For further information about Mark, write:

MVH & Associates
P.O. Box 7665
Newport Beach, CA 92658
Phone: 949-759-9304 or 800-433-2314
Fax: 949-722-6912
Web site:
www.chickensoup.com

Who Is Matthew E. Adams?

Matthew E. Adams has extensive media and journalism experience and is an accomplished public speaker. He began his career working in radio while still in high school. After graduating from college he worked for ESPN in the production department where his assignments were SportsCenter, the NHL and the NFL. In addition to his media activities, he has spent the last twelve years as an executive in the golf and sporting goods industry. He also can be seen as a regular contributor on The Golf Channel.

Matthew has written numerous stories for the
Chicken Soup for the Soul
book series.
Chicken Soup for the Soul of America
is the first
Chicken Soup
book that he has coauthored. While researching for the book he toured Ground Zero and interviewed many people directly affected by the events of September 11, 2001. Matthew said the trip to the World Trade Center site, within weeks of the terrorist attacks, “Was an incredibly emotional experience. The scale of destruction and loss devastated me. Yet, at the same time, the people of New York were so strong and resolute. I found them to be inspiring. They are true heroes.”

Matthew found the experience of coauthoring a
Chicken Soup for the Soul
book to be very rewarding. “I am humbled by the dedication of all of the people who worked tirelessly to pull this book together. I am particularly thankful for the patience and support of my wife Donna and my family.”

Matthew Adams is available for professional speaking engagements and can be reached by e-mail at
[email protected]
or by mail at the Chicken Soup for the Soul offices.

Chicken Soup for the Soul
P.O. Box 30880, Santa Barbara, CA 93130
fax: 805-563-2945
Web sites:
www.chickensoup.com
www.clubchickensoup.com