Be a doer. Not a critic.

Negativity and downright hatefulness seems to have become a way of thinking in this country. And frankly, I’m tired of it.

No wonder people in our country suffer from high levels of depression and anxiety. No one can do anything right. No one.

Every time I look on social media, there is someone complaining about something: too many people on drugs, school traffic is terrible, no good restaurants in town, Christmas decorations look bad, parades shouldn’t be in the dark...blah, blah, blah.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion. Yes, it’s a free country. Yes, you have a right to say what you want.

But what happened to respect? What happened to kindness towards others? What happened to being thankful for  living in a beautiful community that tries to do good things for its residents?

Last week as I read through several posts and comments, it made me sad and angry, mostly because the people who were complaining the loudest and putting the efforts of others down, are people who never do anything to make a difference themselves.

As someone said to me, “There are the doers and the critics. It is easy to be a critic, not so easy to be a doer.”

Being a critic is the easy way out.

People say, “Well, I don’t have time.” If you have time to get on social media and complain and put others down, you have time to make a positive impact in some way.

We are in the midst of the holiday season. We just celebrated a holiday that reminds us to be thankful for things we have and the people in our lives.

Christmas is just a couple of weeks away and then we start a whole new year. With 2018 just around the corner, I challenge you to make a goal for next year: Be a doer. 

Does that mean that everything is rainbows and butterflies? No! But instead of criticizing someone else for what they are doing or not doing, contact them and ask how you can help.

Run for a local office and serve time making something in our community better, for you, for your family, for your friends and for your neighbors.

Find something you are passionate about and volunteer your time to help make a difference. Ask to be on a board or on a committee for a cause you feel is important.

People complain about ISTEP scores being low in the county schools. Volunteer your time to help in the classroom, or if you can’t do that during the school day, contact CAST and ask about tutoring in the evening hours.

People complain about the drug issue in Washington County. Volunteer to be a mentor for the youth in our community. Many of them need a friend to turn to or an adult to help lead them in the right direction. Be that person.

I’ve heard many complaints over the years that we have nothing to do in Washington County, but when things are planned in the community, they aren’t always well-attended or people make fun of the activity. Have you volunteered your time to come up with ideas for kids and families to do? Have you called parks and rec or the public library and asked how you can volunteer your time?

Why not? Why is it always someone else’s fault or someone else’s job to make a difference?

It’s not up to everyone else. It’s up to you. It’s up to me. 

Be a doer, not a critic.