Joy Around the Campfire

by Dr. James W. Jackson
Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

My journeys around the world the past thirty years have profoundly convinced me that if you plan to travel from success to significance in this lifetime, you will do so over the road of compassion. Your true measure of greatness will always be determined by your care for others ... not the accumulation for yourself. I know that it sounds a bit revolutionary, but the pulsating motivation behind your drive for accumulation should be the recognized opportunities for making other people "better off."

We had traveled to the fascinating, but terribly needy, country of Tanzania with our free medical clinics. Our doctors and nurses on that trip were mostly from the Vanderbilt University community, and we had excitedly looked forward to what could be accomplished within the borders of the Serengeti. The night before we were to pack up and leave the Serengeti, we had all gathered to relax with tea and biscuits around an open pit fire at our rustic campsite. Our team had been overwhelmed the previous days by the raw-edged medical needs of desperate people.

I knew that would be the last night I would spend for a while under the starlit sky of the majestic Serengeti. My mind had gone back to the words of Dr. Albert Einstein, "A person first starts to live when he can live outside of himself." Our medical team was totally spent, physically, but bursting with joy and satisfaction. They had outperformed their own expectations. They had lived to the limit . . . outside themselves.

We had all been privileged to share the experience of a lifetime by taking the talents God had given to us and unselfishly using those talents to ease the pains of terribly hurting people half way around the world. There were scores of kids who needed immediate attention for malaria, serious skin problems, or even tetanus. Others suffered with severe respiratory problems, chicken pox, or TB.

Two days before, we had all witnessed the dramatic episode where the talented medical team had been able to "bring back to life" a young girl who had been in a deep coma and had been carried to the medical site by her grieving mother. David White had leaned over the limp body of the girl as she lay on the makeshift examination table with IV tubes in her that dangled from the rafters of the dirty building. He spoke softly into her ear, "little girl, Jesus loves you ... we love you ... your mother is here ...open your eyes, sweetie." She not only opened her eyes but the next day walked with her mother back across the Serengeti to their home!

On the last day of our clinic a middle aged mother had been brought to us. She had accidentally tripped and fallen into an open cooking fire the afternoon before. She had not only received terrible facial burns, but the fire had also destroyed one of her eyes, removing it from the socket. Nowhere else on the Serengeti could she have received emergency help or medications to relieve the excruciating pain. Our team had cleansed and treated the wounds, packed the burned eye socket, and had left ample medical supplies and instructions with family members for taking care of the injured mother in the weeks ahead.

The medical team experienced true joy that last night, because during the past week they had been reminded of one of life's great secrets. If we are to live fulfilled and satisfied lives, we must move outside the tightening circle of our own personal concerns and start investing in the lives of others. There is something miraculous and wonderful about not only giving away your riches but, also, giving away yourself! In the process of giving away yourself you will discover the surprise package of true reward and eternal fulfillment. What I hoard, I lose . . . what I try to keep will be left and fought over by others . . . but what I give to God and others will continue to return forever.It's no wonder Dr. Albert Einstein's comment that, "A person first starts to live when he can live outside of himself," makes so much sense! Come to think of it . . . he was a pretty smart guy!

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson.

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: press@winstoncrown.com 

images: Drs. James W. and AnnaMarie Jackson

The Magic of the Experience (cont'd from "Food Angels)

by Dr. James W. Jackson

Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

I had observed lots of other feeding programs around the world, but never had I witnessed it accomplished in such orderly fashion. Each child received two slices of bread. All stood quietly as they devoured the bread slices. Monica then passed out plastic cups that were soon filled with the thick nutrient drink.

Heather circulated among the kids, looking for the ones suffering from malnutrition. She would walk up and pop a flavored vitamin pill directly into the hungry child's mouth. Nearly all the smallest children received the vitamins. "No one else would do this if I didn't," Heather told me as I followed her from child to child.

The last food handed out to the kids was some sweet puffed rice treats out of a giant plastic bag. Monica went to each child and pulled out all the puffed rice treats she could gather in her two hands and gave it to the child. The children were trained to pull up the front of their little dirty shirts and make a pocket to hold the goodies. That way, no empty plastic bags were left to litter.

Then came the zinging "teachable moment" of the whole "Food Angel" operation. Heather called an older child over to the back of her truck and showed the child some shoes and clothes she had brought with her. She asked the older child whom he thought the shoes and clothes would fit. Then Heather had him take the clothes to that person. "You see," she whispered to me, "I have just involved that child in becoming a loving caregiver. He will never forget that feeling for as long as he lives!"

I was thinking about Heather the other day when I received a message on the social network from a lovely mother who had taken her daughter to our Project C.U.R.E. warehouse in Tempe, Arizona. She, much like Heather, wanted to set up an experience of care-giving that her daughter would never forget:

". . . we live in Gilbert, AZ and were able to volunteer at your (Project C.U.R.E.) warehouse in Tempe. That has been one of the most memorable things my daughter has done.Seeing the needs of others, and her love of science, she has decided to attend the University of Arizona and study medicine. It's because of people like you who encourage and inspire other generations to continue with an important cause. We look forward to continuing to help out with Project C.U.R.E." It is a great privilege, and an incumbent responsibility, that each of us makes it possible for those around us to have the magic of the experience of learning how it feels to make other people "better off."

When Heather's hungry children had gobbled up their bread slices and had finished drinking their gruel, Monica and the two men collected the plastic cups, poured some fresh water out of an old gas can into a large plastic pan, and began washing the cups for the children at the next feeding station. A daily ritual of tender, loving kindness unseen by the outside world. Unnoticed? Not on your life: " ... assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My bretheren, you did it to Me." Matt. 25: 40 NKJV 

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson.

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: mailto:press@winstoncrown.com

images: Drs. James W. and AnnaMarie Jackson

Food Angels

by Dr. James W. Jackson
Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

"What you do is what you believe . . . the rest is manipulative psycho-babble."

In the destitution and squalor of South Africa I found the real deal. No talk . . . all walk. On the outskirts of Johannesburg hundreds of fathers and mothers were dying and many hundreds of children in the shantytown communities were left as orphans as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Refugees kept pouring into the hopeless shantytowns from neighboring countries looking for food and work.

For some reason Heather and her three friends, known as -the "Food Angels," had taken it upon themselves to feed and clothe a portion of those abandoned children. Three of the four were of Scottish decent and five years prior all three had chosen to leave their lives of sufficiency and move into the squalor of the shantytowns.

Heather took me over to the edge of the dirt trail and pointed to three trees off on the western landscape. "Our shanty is near the center tree. You can barely see our shack from here. We moved out here five years ago. It really surprised the people to see the only European-looking people moving into a shanty with no toilet or water. This has been our home and this is our beloved work," said Heather, an older woman who could not disguise the physical results of a harsh life. Her husband's shaggy beard was matted and mostly gray, his bushy hair held down by an old black stocking hat.

The quartet had settled on five locations throughout the crowded shantytown communities. At exactly the same time every day they would show up at the designated feeding spots. Heather and her small group traveled in two vehicles throughout the shanty camps. One was an old blue car with a rack attached to the top. Fifty-five small plastic stackable chairs in colors of blue and red were fastened to the rack by a worn rope. The other vehicle was a small white pick-up truck with a camper shell on the back.

The group would go to grocery distributors and bakeries located in the Johannesburg area where they would be given loaves of bread, raw vegetables and large plastic sacks filled with puffed rice snacks. Another distributor gave them cases of a malty nutrient drink sold as a dietary supplement. I studied the ingredients and was impressed. Surely, no child would starve to death if they were consistently getting looked after by Heather and her crew.

On Tuesday, Anna Marie and I traveled over the rutty trails of the shantytowns with the "Food Angels" on their rounds. At the first stop, scores of ragged, dirty kids had gathered, cheering and waving. Upon arrival, Heather's husband unloaded the 55 blue and red stackable plastic chairs.Monica was the fourth member of the group. She was a teen who had been orphaned when small and had become the song leader, cheer leader and crowd controller at the feeding stations. Monica had the shanty kids sounding more like a children's touring choir than a bunch of ragamuffin HIV/AIDS orphans.

"This is the only meal these kids will get today. Most of them are AIDS orphans. See that little boy over there by the truck? He has AIDS. See that little girl over there? She has AIDS and is noticeably dying. And see that seven-year-old boy there? He has AIDS passed on to him by his mother before she died.That boy is the son of a witch doctor here in shanty town. See his beads and leather straps? But he is also dying of AIDS. We just keep showing up and loving these precious children. We can't take them all home with us, so we have come to make our home with them.

"What you do is what you believe . . . the rest is manipulative psycho-babble."

(To Be Continued)

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson.

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: press@winstoncrown.com 

images: Drs. James W. and AnnaMarie Jackson

First in Line

by Dr. James W. Jackson
Author, The Happiest Man in the World: Life Lessons from a Cultural Economist

I always chortle a bit at the homespun wisdom, "the early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese!"

In our culture we have been fed the breakfast of champions and coached in the necessity of being first in line. It's really important to always be first in line . . . or is it?

Recently, I was in the quaint Balkan country of Bulgaria. I loved it enough that I wanted to go back at the first opportunity. I had agreed to travel from Colorado to Sofia, Bulgaria to work with Mr. Carl Hammerdorfer, the Country's Peace Corps Director. With the Peace Corps and Project C.U.R.E. working together as a team, we were able to accomplish some very ambitious projects of rebuilding and refurnishing some strategic medical facilities in Bulgaria.

The curious history of Bulgaria dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries B.C. Genghis Khan had traipsed through the region with his bloody band and left his influence everywhere. The severity of the subsequent Roman occupation altered the social fabric as well as the landscape. Remains of the Roman walls, forts, ports and coliseums are abundant. The Ottoman Turks later raped the women, pillaged the economy and defaced the real estate, as did the communists more recently. While visiting the thriving cities of Plovdiv, Sofia and Bourgas, I pledged that I would one day return on my own time and do some antique procurement.

One Tuesday was spent assessing a medical facility in the area of Starosel. Near the site was an ancient ruin that had just recently been unearthed. It dated back to the 6th century B.C., and consisted of some cult temples and wine-making operations of the Thracian Sect. The Bulgarian landscape in that district was punctuated with earthen mounds that the farmers had plowed around for many centuries. Their curiosity recently had driven them to dig up some of the mounds and explore the contents. They discovered the evidence of rumored traditions from past centuries.

Tradition held that the Turks had multiple wives. But when the husband was killed, or died of natural causes, his favorite wife would be buried with him. Since it was a great honor to be buried with the husband, and thereby seal your place of honor and importance in history, disputes would often break out among the surviving wives as to who was the most favorite and who would be first in line to be buried with the husband.

So, to settle the disputes in a terminal way, the two top contenders would be bound together by leather straps at one ankle and one wrist. There was no way to get away from each other. Then they would each be given a dagger and allowed to settle the dispute by death. The one successful survivor would then be killed as well and placed in the tomb with the husband for posterity of fame.

Many of the earthen mounds have been excavated now, and scientists indeed have found such fatal wounds as knife punctures to the skull in the wife's skeleton.

When I heard of this morbid tradition, I thought to myself, "there surely must have been a diplomatic way to defer all that posterity and glory to the other jealous contender by simply acknowledging that you were definitely not the most favored, and even share some anecdotal stories of how you had messed up along the way and not fully satisfied the husband at some point!"Demanding to always be first in line seems to me to be pretty costly and may deserve the consideration of at least another 30 minute "rethink." Sometimes it just might be more prudent to be the second mouse and keep the cheese.

Dr. James W. Jackson often describes himself as "The Happiest Man in the World." A successful businessman, award-winning author and humanitarian, Jackson is also a renowned Cultural Economist and international consultant, helping organizations and governments to apply sound economic principals to the transformation of culture so that everyone is "better off."

As the founder of Project C.U.R.E., Dr. Jackson traveled to more than one hundred fifty countries assessing healthcare facilities, meeting with government leaders and "delivering health and hope" in the form of medical supplies and equipment to the world's most needy people. Literally thousands of people are alive today as a direct result of the tireless efforts of Project C.U.R.E.'s staff, volunteers and Dr. Jackson.

To contact Dr. Jackson, or to book him for an interview or speaking engagement: press@winstoncrown.com 

images: Drs. James W. and AnnaMarie Jackson