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Hi Cheri,
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My friend William Vanderbilt is also up (Fanbelt is his user name.) Bill has reached out from his own illness and pain to bring hope to others.
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I'd never met him, but after your post, I spent a long time reading his forums. Reaching out from a place of pain doesn't even begin to say what he does there, does it.... it takes a lot to do what he's doing.
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Maybe there is an element of popularity, however popularity here seems to go with being willing to help people.
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Yes, sometimes it does, that's very true. Other times, it has roots in the need to belong to a group. And sometimes, both.
Helping is a funny thing, though. Sometimes, listening and sharing and being there is very helpful. I don't question that one bit!
Other times, though, all the listening, and caring and sharing in the world won't help, because what we need is someone to help turn us around when we're on a dead end road, or help us find the information that will get us out of the situation we're in.
That's something I deal with a lot in business. When a business owner comes to me and says they aren't making money and their business is failing, and their family is depending on them.... what they need most is the education and help to turn things around.
I see a lot of financial duress at Adland. That's not so different than anywhere else, really. There's a lot of people here (and everywhere) that can't pay their bills or barely scrape by, or desperately want to supplement their income to help a child or a spouse or just to live better. Some of what I read really tears at my heart.
There's also a lot of people that are sympathetic and caring, but can't help anyone -- beyond emotional support -- because they have not yet succeeded in helping themselves.
There's also a lot of people that are desperately trying to sign others up to programs that aren't making them any money in the first place. And, to top it all off, there's also a handful that willingly lead others down the garden path for their own reasons.
It's all here; a grand cross section of humanity.
Friendship and caring and sharing are ways of helping bolster the human spirit. Indeed, they are. And giving help and information to try help nudge people onto a better path or turn them around is yet another way.
I guess that's the sort I tend to try give most of all. Nature of the beast... what I do has permeated who I am. Or maybe vice verse...
: )
Linda
P.S. For everyone that voted or does vote... whether it's for Bill, Deb, or whoever your choice is - it's good to see more people voting!
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