GHB Awards

A friend of ours died a few years ago and I was her pastor. She was one of those people of whom God must have said, “Now that’s what I was thinking of when I created those human critters. At her funeral I began talking about soybeans and what amazing seeds they are that originally came from China and have many many helpful uses for us. I went on for some time about soybeans much to the confusion of the congregation but then said, “But even an even greater bean than the soybean it is the human being.” Sorry, it’s just the way my mind works and how I preached.

At that point I went down to her husband have gave him a sack of soybeans and a trophy inscribed with the letters HBG Award. It was the first Great Human Being award I know of being given to a deserving person. Her husband took the beans and trophy, began to sit down and then stood up, faced the congregation and raised the trophy high overhead and the congregation cheered.

There are those folk who are so deserving of Great Human Being awards, though I’ve never given another one, I know a lot of folk who deserve them. But we should think about giving such awards out. Just think for a moment of folk you know who deserve such awards. And how often are they acknowledged.

We pretty good at awarding nasty awards. Remember the fickle finger of fate award from Laugh In? There are nasty food awards. There is a singing group called the Dag Nasty Awards which haven’t won any yet. We are very good at pointing out different folks short comings, sins, missteps, goofs, errant ways, and the like but it seems much harder to say nice things. Even to those we love the most we say just terrible awful things, because they love us and often let us get away with it.

I found a web site called Sustainability Learning Centre Blog which said, “Great leaders are first great human beings.” That’s a great thought and line. It also said, “Great leaders are first and foremost great human beings in touch with their inner selves; their humanity. It turns out there is a degree given out at the Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden called, Masters in Strategic Leadership toward Sustainability. Ah the Swedes, the happiest people on the planet. I know I’m wandering away a bit here but it’s a nice side step.

All I am saying this time is to try to think of great human beings. How would you design an award to give them? What would you say on such an award? It would be a nice getaway from the negative campaigning going on. I can even think of several politicians I would give such an award to. Can you?