I Am Me

Tuesday, February 14

WE DON'T HAVE TO BE SAINTS

"Whatever our situations, we all face a choice. We can ignore the problems that lie just beyond our front doors; we can allow decisions to be made in our name that lead to a meaner and more desperate world. We can yell at the TV newscasters and complain about how bad things are, using our bitterness as a hedge against involvement. Or we can work, as well as we can, to shape a more generous common future."
~ Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time

"Social involvement is the rent we pay for living."
~Marian Wright Edelman

"There's a process of dying that happens when you shut yourself off to the inequalities and injustices in front of you."
~ Corrine Kelly, massage therapist turned social activist

"Whatever propels us beyond the merely personal - be it awe at the power & mystery of nature, religious belief, outrage at the sight of another person suffering, or simply a sense that we can do better than we have - we each need to take that all-important step of bringing our private convictions into the larger public arena. Because that's where we'll find our common humanity."
~ Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time

The 'perfect standard' assumes many forms. When sleeping in boxes outside overnight to dramatize the plight of the homeless, some students were ridiculed for not being pious enough. Yet, even had they demonstrated their commitment by standing in the rain until they became hypothermic, or by launching a hunger strike, odds are the critics still wouldn't have been satisfied. They would have turned their argument around, and accused the activists of being too holy, of taking things too seriously. Whatever the critique, the approach is the same: identify a perceived flaw, large or small, then use it to dismiss an entire effort.

To hear others invoke the 'perfect standard' is damaging enough. It's worse to subject ourselves to it. Whatever the issue, whatever the approach, we never feel we have enough knowledge or standing. If we do speak out, someone might challenge us, might find an error in our thinking, or an inconsistency - what they might call a hypocrisy - in our lives.
~ Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time

"We have insidiously convinced ourselves that our wisdom is not wisdom, our common sense is not common sense, and our conscience is not conscience."
~ Marianne Williamson, spiritual writer

We don't dare speak out unless we feel prepared to debate Henry Kissinger on Nightline.
~ Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time

"Most of us know it's tacky for families to sleep on the street, for children to attend crumbling and underfunded schools, for corporations to clear-cut thousand-year-old forests, and for politicians to sell their favors to the highest bidder. Merely by virtue of its complexity and sphistication, modern society makes moral engagement more difficult. We don't need to compound the problem by demanding perfection of expression.

The larger point is that social change always proceeds one way or another in the absence of absolute knowledge, as long as people are willing to follow their convictions, to act despite their doubts, and to speak even at the risk of making mistakes."
~ Paul Loeb, author of Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in a Cynical Time

"If you shut your door to all errors, truth will be shut out."
~Rabindranath Tagore, philosopher and poet

In this time of immense technological and economic change, many of us who've been active in social causes before feel daunted by both the size and the array of contemporary problems. Though we should know better, we sometimes feel we have to tackle everything at once. If our efforts don't instantly achieve dramatic results, we are quick to criticize ourselves, and doubt that our efforts can matter.

By assuming that you need to address every facet of the question, all at once, you become so overwhelmed you feel unable to take a public stance at all. Although I know you will reinvolve yourself in one cause or another down the line, your humane and thoughtful perspectives would only have enriched debate. Your pained silence exemplifies the predicament many fomerly active people find themselves in today. They remain caring and compassionate, but they've lost faith in their voices.

"There is no question about doing a perfect job, or always getting it right. 'Perfect' is simply NOT RELEVANT, whatever that would mean. What is important is that we be authentic. We should aspire to become 'good-enough activists'. Realize that our contributions still make a difference even if we don't win the Nobel Peace Prize."

We can pick one issue or another, this or that tactical style. As long as we act thoughtfully and generously, and don't trample people's lives in the pursuit of our causes, our efforts can help, whther or not we're certain about every facet of each issue.

We may also feel now isn't the 'best time.' If not now, when?
While we wait for the ideal time to arrive, weeks, months, years pass by. We squander repeated opportunities to involve ourselves in the larger community for causes whose justification may be imperfect and whose outcome is far from certain - in other words, causes that are real. The 'perfect stand' promotes endless deferral.

It's time to stop passing the buck, or 'deferring' the buck. Deal with the buck now, so that 10 years later, it's not a 10 ton brick wall Buck who now owns your land and you must move away or die. (Okay, a little dramatic, but you get my point)

Contrary to expectation, we're most effective when we realize that there is no perfect time to get involved in social causes, no ideal circumstances for voiceing our convictions. What each of us faces instead is a series of imperfect moments in which we must decide what to stand for. Choices may at times be thrust upon us. More often, we'll have to seek them out consciously, in contexts that don't always encourage them and sometimes when we don't feel ready. The wonder is that when we do begin to act, we often gain the knowledge, confidence, and strength that we need to continue.

Kim 3:10 PM |