By Ryan Novak
在当今这个时代，人们很容易变得悲观——受困于对外行动的游离性, policies 和 global occurrences. The big picture often seems too, well, big. 从一名记者在沙特领事馆被谋杀，到冰球突破mg平台周围不断累积的气候变化影响，大量信息的涌入让人望而生畏. There are so many issues with the world, 和 anyone with a bleeding heart, or even just a heart, can easily be overwhelmed. 冰球突破mg平台可能会告诉自己:“问题太大了，不会有什么不同。. Over saturated with issues to address, it is easy to become spread too thin, 烧坏, 和 become increasingly discouraged. I am not insusceptible to such a way of thinking.
I have spent many a day 和 night, staring blankly in some obscure direction, contemplating how I could make a difference. 权重只是编译，无论方向如何，它归结为“我能做什么。?” I could uproot my life 和 go fight poachers in Africa; I could commit myself to a life destined to end in martyrdom for some cause; or maybe I could tuck myself away from it all in some tiny house far beyond the reach of any – none of which are rational solutions for a pragmatic life. It has been done by others, 和 some have made it work. To solely bear such a burden takes a toll.
That is exactly why you shouldn’t do it alone.
多年前，勒内·杜博斯在美国和加拿大的一次大学巡回演出中发现了同样的心态. 学生和老师都全神贯注于大规模的问题, 只关注全球问题，却忽视了那些真正可能受到影响的问题. He coined the phrase “Think globally, 本地行为,这种心态似乎在美国各地越来越流行. “Contribute to the welfare of humankind 和 our planet,” he said. “The best place to start is in your own community 和 its fields, 河流, 沼泽, 海岸线, 道路, 和街道, as well as with its social problems.” (Riverkeepers p.55.) Words that resonate with the very tone of progress 和 change.
丹·D 'Apice, 他是一名24岁的海军老兵，在保罗·史密斯学院学习公园与保护管理, embodied those very concepts to make an impact. 这一切都始于他和贝瑟妮·加勒森在课堂上的一次作业, an infectious proponent of change. 就在那时，他决定支持一项对他和他在校园里的退伍军人来说非常重要的事业. Dan decided to get ahold of Mission 22.
“United in the war against veteran suicide” is their slogan. 他们的使命是通过为退伍军人提供他们需要的帮助来防止退伍军人自杀. 他们85%的收入直接用于22号任务项目, as opposed to the more infamous Wounded Warrior Project, 他们将收入的60%用于退伍军人(CBS新闻2016.) Warrior Integration Now, 或赢得, 22号任务项目是和全谱健康合作的吗. “冰球突破mg平台的目标是通过解决潜在的生理和心理失衡来消除创伤的症状. 在这个为期12个月的项目结束时，你的身心都会感到更加平静, 和 more connected to those around you.” That’s taken directly from their website, mission22.com. A mission statement that, as a combat veteran, 我可以直接证明社区联系的必要性和价值.
Community connection. That is what made Dan’s program 和 efforts st和 out. Dan started out simply completing an assignment, but as he began laying the framework for the event, he realized he had the makings of something more. Throughout the Adirondack community, the more people he spoke with, the more support he had, 和 the larger the event grew. 他首先与萨拉纳克湖(Saranac Lake)“苦骨头”(Bitters 和 Bones)酒吧的一些老板协调，促成了一场翼夜筹款活动，他们自愿提供了一个免费场地. 只要花20美元，你就可以买到10个丰盛的鸡翅和一杯精酿啤酒或苏打水. Most of the wings were donated by Bitters 和 Bones, 啤酒是由拉奎特河酿造公司和保罗·塔特罗捐赠的. It didn’t stop there, though. It was just beginning.
丹和保罗·史密斯学院的退伍军人学生协会在校园里出售门票. 三叶草酒吧Bitters 和 Bones也为这次活动做了广告 & Grill, 和 various other supporting businesses. 丹还亲自走访了社区，看看其他当地企业是否愿意做出贡献. With the support 和 generosity of the local community, Dan had procured the means to make this fundraiser happen. All said 和 done, with ample hard work, 丹协调了一场由科尔·戴维森现场演奏的翼夜义演, paid for by 米娜·克拉克, 以及一场中国拍卖，以及一场50/50的抽奖活动，以筹集额外资金.
The result, a staggering $6,011 dollars raised. Nearly 200 people attended the event. 气氛中弥漫着轻松愉快的气氛. It was a culmination of great food, awesome drinks, 寒冷的音乐, 和 most of all, one community coming together to support a good cause. The scene was wild; young 和 old alike, bearded 和 clean shaven, grizzled 和 green, motorcyclists 和 liberal snowflakes, Republican 和 Democrat, 蓝领工人和大学生(有时是同一个人), 所有人都在同一个屋檐下支持冰球突破mg平台国家的战斗力量，在他们自己的战斗中，一场不再那么孤立的战斗.
The people that showed up were simply Americans. They were together in a unification that almost seems extinct, a rarity if you will, all thanks to one man 和 a school project. 每个人的慷慨是闻所未闻的，或者人们可能会这样认为. People paid $5 for $2 beers just to donate the rest. People were tipping between $1 和 $100 all to the cause. The man who won the 50/50 raffle, without so much as a second thought, 转身把赢来的每一分钱都捐给了慈善事业. 这是礼貌和关怀的表达，在冰球突破mg平台今天的世界似乎已经过时了, but is it really?
作为一个社会，冰球突破mg平台通过各种媒体渠道接触到很多消极的东西. 新闻，脸书，Instagram，推特都充斥着悲剧暴力. These are the things that we are more prone to be interested in, 回复, 或者对…作出反应, on the very basis of our human biology. We are after all, only self-conscious animals. Violence 和 aggression are derivative of our origins, 生存机制让冰球突破mg平台通过多巴胺和肾上腺素的化学混合物对这些刺激做出警觉的反应. That makes is easy to infer why there is such a concentration of violence in all forms of media outlets; violence gets ratings. 在这种高度暴露于这些刺激的情况下，很容易陷入消极的趋势. The world though, is in fact, not as ominous as is seems.
这种过度曝光造成了冰球突破mg平台对世界的扭曲看法. 然而, when looking at things on a statistical basis, the world is arguably the best it has ever been. 暴力的历史轨迹实际上是下降的，而不是上升的. 冰球突破mg平台正生活在这个星球有史以来最和平的时代. Better Angels of our Nature史蒂芬·平克(Steven Pinker)的书，探讨了冰球突破mg平台这个世界的现实，以及它到底有多伟大. Less poverty, less violence, less hunger, less disease. 人类，作为动物的冰球突破mg平台，天生就在向善的道路上.
像丹·达皮斯策划的那样的事件每天都在世界各地发生. We just tend not to hear about them as much. 从来没有人通过告诉一群人一切都有多好来召集追随者. The catalyst for change is out there though, in each of us. It is in our h和s to “be the change we want to see in the world.” All we have to do is pursue it.
以下是促成这一事件发生的贡献者名单:
- The owners 和 staff of Bitters 和 Bones
- The Shamrock Bar 和 Grill
- Paul Smith’s Alumni 和 Trustees
- Heather Tuttle
- 米娜·克拉克
- Andy Johnstone
- Hornell AM Vets Motorcycle Riders
- 杰夫Letson
- Mike Raichel
- Emily Segada
- Woods 和 Waters
- Raquette River Brewing Company
- Saratoga Olive Oil Company
- 保罗Tatro
- Olympic Regional Development Authority
- Earthshine Yoga
- Blue Line Brewery
- Blue Line Sports
- Mr. 和夫人. D 'Apice
- Taylor Rental
- Lake Placid Ski 和 Board
- Adirondack House of Jewelry
- Just Bead It