Feed the Good

About two months ago, I wrote a post about an incident in the news of a young boy stabbing and killing an honor student at school because she would not go to prom with him. It was called The Monsters We've Created. I made a promise to myself when I started this blog that I would never write unless I was inspired to write. Sometimes tragedy or outrage inspires, but, sometimes, like today, pride and goodness inspire. I am an emotional patriot. I tear up when the National Anthem is played. I am touched when I see the pictures of the elderly veterans saluting the flag as it passes by in a parade. I will absolutely fall apart at a Military Funeral when the flag is presented to the loved ones left behind, and if Taps is played, forget it! I am done! So today when I read the story of Cpl. William (Kyle) Carpenter, I found there were tears slowly rolling down my cheeks. I will not retell the whole story here as you can read it from the link provided, but in a short summary, Kyle was awarded the Medal of Honor yesterday. He is 24, the youngest living recipient of the medal that has only been awarded to roughly 3500 men since its creation during the Civil War, 150 years ago. The act of bravery, putting himself between a grenade and a fellow soldier, happened in 2010. That means when Kyle made that choice he was 20 years old, barely out of high school, and not old enough to purchase or drink alcohol. In my opinion, a boy. How amazing that this very young man made such a selfless choice in a world that is all about ME. What's in it for ME? How will this benefit ME? I'm not doing that, I might get hurt. They can fend for themselves, it's not MY problem. But he did make that choice and saved the life of another. In yesterday's ceremony when the medal was presented to Cpl. Carpenter by President Barack Obama, Obama said this, "If any American seeks a model of the strength and resilience that define us as a people, including this newest 9/11 generation, I want you to consider Kyle..a shining example of what our nation needs to encourage." Has our culture created monsters? Yes, but we have also created and nurtured young men like Kyle, and all too often we focus on the tragedy and not the triumph. Hearing Kyle's story makes me believe in a future for this country, for the world. We just need to focus on nurturing the good, the compassion, the empathy and respect. There is a Native American legend of a story told to a grandson by his grandfather. He tells the boy of 2 wolves raging against each other inside of him. One is evil and  the other is good. The grandson asks the grandfather which one will win. The grandfather replies, "The one you feed." We need to , as a parent, as a nation, as a world, start feeding the good. Strive to embody the characteristics of Cpl. William (Kyle) Carpenter that led him to make the choices he made that day, and I am sure every day of his life. It is the only way we will survive!