I hope today’s theme can be of use to youth ministries, family counsels, Sunday school and family home evenings. Today’s theme is in reference a continuation of a request I got from my web site last week:

Quote:
Hi Melva,
I am a school counselor in XXX. I have been looking around on the internet for some ideas for object lessons on the value of kindness or the value of empathy. I am going to be teaching a group of adults why creating opportunities for kindness in schools is critical in the fight against bullying. There is so much that goes along with this idea it seems. I would really like to find some object lessons or group activities I could have the adults do to really help break up the long boring (but critical) presentation I am giving. I was hoping you might have some great ideas you could share.
Unquote

I presented some ideas last week and now I’m touching upon the topic in a different way.

Have a group discussion about student’s pets. Give stories of where their have done funny things and adorable things. Talk about those they have offered friendship. Then as a group discuss the positive human traits of those pets. Discuss how they give comfort.

Next discuss stories of animals that have helped humans. Here are some examples from You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qW8yAV8dJM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kAMXnTpURQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWpCZsIoDtw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSywiwgC4Dk

We have all probably seen a lot of you-tube vides of people being kinds to animals or being protective of other people. They are great examples of the best we can be. Here are a few examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btiDHCuWyBA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2IuPamC78I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yf4NUYoSkrM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Qj7WLRqyQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qP88uhEfY0Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0Nyum0VlzE

The instructor/ parent now give a story from their youth of a sibling or person at school who they used to fight with. Now tell how you learned to appreciate the sibling as your grew up or got to know that person you hated in school. Discuss the struggling beginnings of a friendship. Tell your observations of when you didn’t get along and when you did. Give detailed attributes of that person’s positive personality traits and accomplishments.

We will each in our time come upon a time in our lives that will determine what kind of person we will be. A famous movie and book gives a great example of personal courage and conviction. And the actions of the character save the lives all his companions:
Lord of the rings; You shall not pass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJZZNHekEQw

But is this only done in fiction, no, here is a real life experience: from a speech from a successful writer named Tracy Hickam: http://paulgenesse.blogspot.com/2009/02/ltue-saturday.html

This soldier gave Tracy and Margaret Weiss a horribly tattered compilation of the first three Dragon Lance books to sign. The soldier said it (the book) had been in combat, jumped out of planes and had been on the soldier everywhere he went for years. The book was with him when he was shot in Afghanistan while on point during a patrol. When he hit the ground after being shot, his first thought was: what would Sturm do? The soldier saw enemies assembling a mortar that would kill or injure his entire squad who was unaware of the danger. The soldier’s second thought was, “I hope my luck is better than Sturm’s.”

The soldier then said that he got up and warned his squad about the mortar. He saved their lives. Then the soldier said that it was Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weiss who actually saved the lives of the squad. The soldier gave his purple heart medal and his bronze star medal to Margaret and Tracy, saying it was them who deserved the honor, not him.

This soldier decided what kind of man he would be, as inspired by a piece of fiction. Something that is not mentioned in this reference (I was there and also I heard the tale) was that the soldier was wounded carrying men to safety.) If we wanted to be the best we could be, what would we be? We can decide that in advance. And that include being a champion against bullying.

Discuss as a group why you think people made the effort to help these animals and people?

The invitation today is to be people of action. What is the fire in your belly?

Object lesson: Restrained:
Objects from the lesson: multiple sweaters, a belt and a rope or bungee cord.
Choose someone from the family, group or class. Put multiple sweaters over the top half of that person with the hands on their side so that the top half of their body is fully entombed. Have them sit down and put the belt around their waist and tie the bungee cord/rope to their foot and belt so that one foot is pulled up behind them. Can they to stand by themselves? They can’t. Now have others help that person stand.

This could be a small example how others can help others in need. Sometimes when standing up to bullies it requires more than one person. That means that those who want to stand up to bullies need to establish alliances in advance that when they see an act of bullying they partner together to stop it.

If you have an alternative idea to help with this topic please feel free to share it.