What Do You Stand For?


This is the shirt. And yes, I have troubles knowing how to pose for photos.


Back in high school, I went on mission trips with a group of teens from my parish.  Every Workcamp, we got a t-shirt with the week's theme on it.  I have developed quite the collection: Undeserved, Connect, Made, and What Do You Stand For.  The last one has resulted in the most attention.  Walking around in public with "What Do You Stand For?" in big letters across my chest often prompts people to ask me that very question.





Starting from when I was 17 years old, I have been working on an answer.  I knew responding with "oh, that was just the theme from a mission trip I went on" was not good enough.  It didn't actually answer the question.  Sometimes, people would respond with their own answers.  This happened if a little kid or someone with Downs Syndrome asked or were nearby.  They would say something to the tune of "puppies!" or "homeless kittens!"  Very cute.  But I noticed that adults never seemed to offer their own answer.  It's just not something that is usually asked or thought about.  As a kid, the weight of the question isn't really there.  They don't feel like there is a "right" answer or recognize it as a call to action.

In my late teens, I was able to grasp that.  Although I wanted to dodge the question because of its weight, I was asked it so often that I didn't feel like I could.  I knew that my answer could spark more questions.  That once I found it, it would become a guide for what I do and how I interact with others.  So one night during my freshman year of college, I decided to sit down and ask myself, "What do I stand for?" 

To answer it, I tried to think of what brought me the most concern.  What I thought was at times lacking in the world as I experienced it.  What different mantras jumped out at me and why.  One theme always came up: love.  And I'm not talking about the romantic kind of love.  I'm talking about the "I want what is best for you even if it means hardship for me" kind of love.  The "I will stand by you through thick and thin because you matter to me" kind of love.  The "you have immense, intrinsic worth and dignity, even if you can't see it" kind of love.  Sacrificial, abiding love.  This is what I stand for.

I stand for each person to know and feel that they are loved.
Articulating this has given me a guide for my life.  When trying to figure out 'who I want to be when I grow up,' this answer acts as the lens through which I view my options.  If I don't feel like a career path affirms a person's or community's dignity and worth, I don't want to be a part of it.  My answer acts as an examination of conscience.  If I did not act in a way that upholds it, I know that action or area of my life needs some mending. 

It's this outlook that drives me to be present and put down my phone when I'm around friends and family.  This is why I try to look the homeless in the eye, smile, and at the very least respond to them as I pass them to and from work every day.  You never know the last time someone felt loved or noticed.  If they believe they are a burden or should be as invisible as possible.  So rarely do we know a person's whole story, the pain they might carry.  Every person is deserving of love, and I have the ability to share it.


So, this is what I give as my response when people see my shirt and ask "What do you stand for?"  Now, let me ask you a question. 

What do you stand for?





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