Community Born in Crisis

I decided to come out of my blogging hiatus/writers block, and give my opinion and outlook on the tragedy of Damar Hamlin. For those of you that may not know, Damar Hamlin is the 24 year old Safety for the Buffalo Bills. On the night of January 2nd, 2023 during Monday Night Football, this young man suffered from cardiac arrest shortly after a tackle that impacted his chest.

photo credit: https://www.mlive.com/news/2023/01/update-on-damar-hamlins-condition-all-i-can-say-is-hes-fighting-hes-a-fighter.html

As we offer up our thoughts and prayers to the Hamlin family, the Buffalo Bills staff and players, and everyone watching the most painstaking ten minutes in NFL history; that is not the entire focus of this post. I do want to add that at this time Hamlin has made incredible advances in his recovery and is now moving, breathing, and talking on his own! I want to draw everyone’s attention to the way that in that moment of extreme tragedy, millions of spectators reached a harmonious clarity. The realization in that moment NOTHING ELSE MATTERED. Not what jersey you wore. Not who was on your fantasy team. Not the bet you made. The ONLY thing that mattered was the young man on the field clinging to life. EVERYONE in that moment came together as a community, and put aside their differences, to come together and support that young man, his family, and his team.

My hope is that I am not alone in the realization that came to me after this clarity. The dumbfounded yet profound feeling that the same thing is possible in every aspect of life and not just a football player.

Think of the possibilities for advances in politics, relationships, business, etc. There is no limit to the positivity that could come from everyone putting aside their differences, to listen to one another, and to care about everyone, not just the like-minded.