We forget, don’t we?
We forget what real people go through every day.
We forget the messages they are bombarded with, the struggles they face, the negative influences on their kids.
Real people perceive your radio station within the context of their own lives. Don’t ever forget it.
Often they tune in to get away from the negativity, to be affirmed for the good in people, and to be reminded of the hope we can have through our faith.
Yes, the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 remind us of the horrors of that day, but if we’re tuned in to it we’re also reminded of the heroism of our fellow Americans. Here is what President George W. Bush had to say on 9/11/2021 in the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United flight #93 crashed.
“In those fateful hours, we learned other lessons as well. We saw that Americans were vulnerable, but not fragile. That they possessed a core of strength that survives the worst that life can bring. We learned that bravery is more common than we imagined, emerging with sudden splendor in the face of death. We vividly felt how every hour with our loved ones was a temporary and holy gift. And we found that even the longest days end.”
George W. Bush
With every 9th caller to win a family four-pack of cardboard there is a hero.
With every mom or dad trying to surround their children with positive influences there is a hero.
With every routine traffic accident, with every mundane weather report, with every insignificant time check, someone is being a hero.
But we forget, don’t we?
Our radio stations will inevitably be just as mundane as we choose to make them. Or we can look for the heroes and share those stories.
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping. To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”
Fred Rogers