Today, January 5, 2021, marks the 78th anniversary of the death of George Washington Carver.
From his humble beginnings of a slave, he rose to become one of the preeminent scientists of his day, ultimately discovering more than 300 uses for the humble peanut, even producing a peanut-based replacement for rubber during World War II in addition to soap, face creams, axle grease, insecticides, glue, medicines, and charcoal. Hard to believe a peanut can do all that, but alas—here we are—talking about this incredible legacy nearly a century after these amazing discoveries.
Carver solved big problems in a world where even back then all the people were a little bit sick, a little bit angry, a little bit greedy, and of course a little bit selfish.
I think we can all agree that last year was hard.
It was politics, and race, and wildfires, and job loss.
Oh—and COVID.
But even if you didn’t get COVID yourself, you probably worried about getting COVID, knew someone who had COVID, or simply wished the world would go back to the days before anyone ever uttered the word COVID.
If you were old, you felt vulnerable.
If you were young, you felt cheated.
If you were middle aged—like me—you felt responsible.
Did you feel like the weight of the weary world rested upon your tired shoulders?
I know.
I felt like that, too.
Responsibility is a gift and a curse—depending on how you view it.
We’re responsible, but we’re also selfish. Selfishness explains so much of human behavior—from voting tendencies to population patterns. And it’s why we have opinions about everything—opinions we’re not afraid to share.
Who among us hasn’t fantasized at least once about being the one to solve all the world’s problems?
When it comes to making a real difference, I’m guilty of allowing negative self-talk talk me out of doing anything meaningful. “I’m just one person,” I tell myself. “I don’t have enough experience, education, money, influence, or contacts.”
Want me to continue? I’m really good at making excuses!
But George Washington Carver could have used all those excuses—and more. His early life was filled with adversity. Luckily, he had a little hand up from a foster family who believed in him, and then he used his prodigious brain to pay attention to what he saw and cultivate what he knew.
What do we live for if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?—George Eliot
But what if the work I’m meant to do is simply to make life less difficult for those around me?
Can you imagine the amazing world we would inhabit if everyone focused less on themselves and more on the people around them?
Believe it or not, a lot of us actually did that last year.
Did you know Facebook users raised more than $80M to combat climate change? People around the world supported small businesses and social awakenings, and Americans saw record voter turnout for the 2020 Presidential election.
That’s how the world came together. Scaled down even farther, this year my church hosted numerous blood drives and gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to community partners through our Be Rich program.
What about you? What did YOU do? What did I do?
How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.—George Washington Carver
Wanting neither fame nor fortune, Carver patented just three of his ideas. Accomplishment was never his goal. Indeed, he was a man of service.
And maybe that should be our goal, too.
“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2
I hope you’re as excited about the new year as I am. Of course, I’m excited about every new year. But even if 2021 lets me down, I’m not going to let this year get me down. There’s too many people in the world that need lifting up!