Today's News and Matthew 25: 35-40

“If you will think about what you ought to do for other people, your character will take care of itself,” said Woodrow Wilson in what is good advice to anyone seeking or holding public office. It is also a bit of wisdom that we can see every day in the actions of ordinary citizens in our community who contribute to making it a better place for all of us, especially for those who are less fortunate.

Yesterday, the legal division of Tyson Foods contributed $7,200 on behalf of its 18 corporate attorneys, to Legal Aid of Arkansas, a nonprofit organization that provides civil legal services to those who could not otherwise afford a lawyer. Alberto Gonzalez-Pita, Tyson's chief legal officer, said, "I think it's very important. I think it's really part of being a lawyer,” because lawyers enjoy a special place in society and have an obligation to provide pro bono legal work and to support legal aid financially. He is right.

Yesterday, the Fayetteville Housing Authority Board of Commissioners recommended that the City Council approve the nomination of Hugh Earnest to serve on their board, and not only because he was the only person concerned enough to apply for the unpaid and often thankless position on the board,. Earnest is the former chief administrative officer and urban development director for the City of Fayetteville and is currently serving as interim executive director of the Seven Hills Homeless Center. “I know that I can contribute, and I do believe that the Housing Authority could have a significant role of dealing with affordable housing,” he said, and we agree.

To paraphrase a devoted leader in the private sector who had the heart of a servant, “There is no greater calling than to serve our fellow citizens. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well.” We would do well to keep that in mind.

Although Scott Shackelford was talking about people who did things to help him personally, he wrote in his column today, “We tend to expect kindheartedness from our family and friends, but not perfect strangers. We have been taught that communities — where everyone treats everyone else like family — are a thing of the past. In the face of such cynicism, I found it remarkable that three people I had never seen before, and will probably never see again, dropped everything they were doing to make sure I got home safe and sound.” That is a grateful recognition of the spirit within each of us and a much more uplifting and generous editorial observation than a petty complaint about not getting proper deference and respect from minimum wage employees at a fast food restaurant.