For me, a big thing is ‘what does God want me to do?’ And my answer to that is use my work to somehow provide comfort, to somehow improve the lives of other people, to create moments of connection as opposed to ‘How far am I? How much further can I go?’

– Brandon Stanton, Humans of New York

Quakers are a small religious family in a growing religious world. Pew Research notes that over 75% of people globally still identify with some religious tradition. Yet within our Society, many feel we are shrinking.

It is through this lens that I listened to Brandon Stanton’s interview on CBS last week, in which he shares why he created and maintains Humans of New York (HONY), the social media presence that amplifies the stories of random New Yorkers that he meets in public.  He realized early on that HONY could be used not just for storytelling, but for crowdfunding.  Through empathetic, first-person sharing of stories, Brandon has facilitated the raising of tens of millions of dollars for small businesses, community nonprofits, and other causes. In this interview, we see several people whose lives were changed because of Brandon’s generosity with his platform, which has 17 million Facebook followers and 13 million Instagram followers.

Stanton’s stories remind me that Spirit can move through even the simplest acts of kindness. But holding on to that vision isn’t always easy—especially in the face of violence and division. For some reason, it never dawned on me that Brandon’s platform or generosity would be Spirit-led. I enjoyed the stories and marveled at how successful the crowdfunding was, but I never thought “Hmm.  Look at God.”

I think that’s the challenge before me, to see the good in the world and do more to connect it to the Divine.  Sometimes I worry that naming God’s presence in others might come across as insincere. And yet, when I avoid it, I risk distancing myself from the very people and movements bringing hope into the world.

I think I became cynical.

That cynicism came to a head after the recent spate of violence occurring in the United States, and the ugly discourse surrounding it.  This side doesn’t care that the other side is sad.  That side doesn’t think the other side is grieving hard enough.  This side thinks their guy is a hero.  That side thinks their guy is a villain.  And for a while, I felt numb.  I didn’t care.

I sat with my attitude of not caring and soon realized it to be a defense mechanism against my own growing sadness.  Sadness that life taken early robs all of us for the chance at continuing revelation, redemption, or a softened heart.  Sadness of the knowledge that witnessing real-life violence can permanently change the wiring of a young person’s brain.

But then comes Brandon Stanton and Humans of New York, one person with a camera, an idea, and access to social media.  And, for Brandon, a query: “What does God want me to do?”

For me, the query remains: “What does God want me to do?” Perhaps for all of us, the invitation is to notice how God is alive in others, and to join that work with courage and thoughtfulness.

In Friendship,

Rashid Darden

Associate Secretary for Communications and Outreach