Would+you+lend+me+a+hand?

=** 8. Would you lend me a hand? **=
 * //They recognize that they are part of an inter-dependent community. They are not afraid to seek help from their community members. They tap into the strength of the community. //**

A father and his young son were walking on a country road. The small boy said, "I am strong, aren't I Daddy?" "Yes, you are my son."

The boy spied a large stone on the path. "I bet I could lift that stone!" "You just might be able to," replied the father.

The boy bent, grunted, strained, and succeeded. "Well, done, my boy."

They walked on and came upon a much larger stone. "Do you think I can lift that stone?" the boy asked. "You just might be able to," was the reply. The boy bent, strained, grunted, but could not lift it.

"You were wrong, Daddy."

"You will succeed if you use all of your strength" was the reply.

The boy bent, grunted and strained, but he could not lift it.

"You were wrong, Daddy."

"But you did not use all of your strength," the father replied.

"Yes, I did!" exclaimed his son.

"No, my son. You did not ask for help."

//Thanks to David Fowle for this story.//

Many of us have trouble asking for help, but if we realize we are members of communities, we recognize that our strength lies in our collaboration. We need to let go a little so that we can ask for help.

In the book **Asking** by Jerold Panas, the author explores the difficulty school representatives have in asking others to support their schools. Why are we afraid to ask for help? He points out that we are often doing the other person a favor when we are asking for help. We are giving the other person an opportunity to inject purpose and meaning into their lives by contributing to a greater good.