Cause It Needed to Be Done

 
Dedicated to the Inspirational life of Mr. Bill Russell…Thank you!

 

August 31, 2022

On July 31, 2022 around 2:21pm CST, my Sunshine sent me this text message: “Sit down before you open this… Barack Obama’s Instagram page.” I did not need to know what it was about to know it was not good. I was right. Barack Obama’s Instagram was giving a shout out about Bill Russell, stating, “Today, we lost a giant…As tall as Bill Russell stood, his legacy rises far higher - both as a player and as a person.” That is a good segue to describe what Bill Russell meant to me. Some athletes inspire you as an athlete. Bill Russell inspired me as an athlete and as an individual.

Mr. Bill Russell changed basketball is so many ways

When I was a boy, my dad gave me a Starting Lineup figurine of Bill Russell. At the time of receiving it, I had no idea who he was. There was no Internet accessible like it is now. I had to go to local libraries to figure out who he was. I reviewed almanacs, encyclopedias, and many NBA history books. When it was all done, I learned that Bill Russell was the embodiment of success on and off the court, but for many generations that have come after him, it’s almost like there is sports achievement amnesia surrounding Mr. Russell. Some have forgotten he is part of a rare list in basketball. In one year, he won a national college championship, an Olympic gold medal, and NBA championship. He was the first Black head coach in the NBA, only player-coach to win multiple NBA titles, and he won 11 NBA championships in 13 years. Impressive is an understatement! And throughout his professional sports career he was not always the best player on his team. To me, he was the ultimate teammate on the court. He was often the best teammate on the court because he was willing to do what needed to be done to help his teams win. This holistic package is why Bill Russell is still my favorite basketball player of all-time.

Decades later, I still love playing basketball. What was true when I was a child is still true now. I was never the best player on the court. I wasn't the best shooter, or ball handler, or defender. I knew if I wanted a chance to be part of teams, I had to get out of my feelings, and figure out how I was gonna contribute…I did what needed to be done. I have held onto this mentality as a value that is a foundational aspect of what makes me - me.

In my personal and professional worlds, I do a lot of things that if I chose to promote them might bring notoriety in a monetary way. I edit textbooks, consult for municipalities, volunteer with numerous non-profits, and mentor others. Rarely, will you hear me sharing those things in casual conversation. It is not because they are not important. It is because the recognition is not at the center of why I do it. I picked up this approach from Mr. Bill Russell. He was the ultimate teammate in the community, too. Even in the twilight days of his life, you will hear stories of Mr. Russell doing things in the community (inside and outside the NBA). Mr. Russell did not do things for recognition. For him, he often helped simply because it needed to be done.

Russell welcomed recognition but it wasn't the motivation

Most recently I was nominated by one of my peers to be considered for our college’s faculty of the year award. At first, I was not sure why I was nominated. To me, I do not do anything out of the ordinary. I seek to teach in a way that is engaging and provide ways for the course material to be applied outside the classroom. But, to some of my colleagues, I do more than that. While I recognize some see this as a big deal, I do it because it needs to be done. Whether I ever get publicly acknowledged again for my efforts, I am going to keep doing what I do, because that’s what needs to be done. And apparently, having a “cause it needed to be done philosophy” is contagious. I have had the privilege of seeing my children help others in various ways because it needed to be done. You never know who is watching you. You never know how your values might become values someone else embraces. Act wisely!

I hope more of us do things simply because they need to get done. There are cynical people who believe individuals doing good things because it is the right thing to do (and do it without recognition) is rare. I strongly disagree. There are plenty of people behind the scenes doing great things to make the world better with small and large humanitarian acts. Our challenges are to stop waiting to see behaviors in someone else and to stop waiting for someone to broadcast an individual’s acts of service. We should start looking at ourselves and figure out what is holding us from filling a need when no one is watching or cheering us on. You see a need, be a solution to the need. Why? Because it needs to be done!

Be well!
Elgrie J. Hurd III
-2022-2023 Dallas College’s Minnie Stevens Piper Excellence in Teaching Award Nominee

There's More Than Enough

September 12, 2020

I love the film Pay It Forward (2000). I used to show it in my psychology and sociology classes to illustrate how the power of one individual can change the world. I believe it is not just an idea limited to being done in the movies.

In hindsight, I have observed the concept of paying it forward since early childhood. However, it wasn’t until middle childhood and adolescence I appreciated it for what it was. The first person I appreciated paying it forward was my mother. The experience came in an unexpected way. When I was growing up there was a time my mother spent incarcerated. While serving her time she used to help others. She poured into teens who were also behind bars. She shared her mistakes (often holding back nothing), so they did not have to experience some of the more extreme situations through the school of hard knocks. She didn't have to, but she did.

My mother’s road to a different life outside of prison blossomed out of others paying it forward to her. Those people understood the phrase "you don't know what you don't know." They wanted my mom to know; they did not want their pain to be in vain. A great poet once said, “don’t be selfish with your pain.” Our pain is not just for us. When we pay it forward, we model this motto.

I am a husband, father, college graduate, a mentor, a coach, and a professor because people have paid it forward for me. They used their blessings to bless me (in the hope I would be a blessing to others). Every day I seek to use what I have been blessed with to bless others. I do this because I believe in the definition of blessing. The definition of bless is to bestow good of any kind.

For some, the concept of blessing may seem too touchy-feely. So, let me offer another perspective: You should feel obligated to help others for at-least three reasons: 

1. It makes you better. Helping others learn something you have mastered or experienced makes you more knowledgeable on that topic/situation. As you continue to develop your own understanding, you could become a local expert on that topic/situation. This could allow you to parlay it to endless opportunities that could benefit you in the short and long-term.
2. Economically speaking (on a national level), it helps government funding be used in an empowering way. I often hear of complaints of government money being used to help the less fortunate as if it is a burden. (I think that is an oversimplification of efforts to address inequity. This is not the focus on this particular analysis). You want the government’s burden to be lightened?! Step up!!! “Lift while you climb.” When we help empower others, we help the entire nation.
3. If none of these things move you, it may be worthwhile to acknowledge you might have a self-imposed denial of how you arrived. Your success was not derived solely from you. Someone or some people helped you along the way. So why deny it? Why not do what was done for you and be a conduit for others?!

There's this capitalistic myth that there's not enough blessings for everyone to have one. Too many of us get our piece of the pie and act like we can’t share. Why is it OK for others to help you, but beneath you to do the same? In the end, we reap what we sow. So, if paying it forward is not an option for you, what are you sowing?

- Elgrie J./Prof. H.