The last few weeks I have
spoken with several fellow GPP 105 students and I have gotten the impression
that the critical analysis of our PE orgs we have been undertaking has
gotten some people down, even cynical. This is completely understandable since
critical analysis breaks things down into so many pieces and finds so many
faults that it is easy to feel like there is no approach we can take, nothing
we can do to help, without failing in some aspect. However, when we fall into
cynicism we risk becoming paralyzed by it and stuck within it-- as Professor
Robert Reich said in his blog, “Cynicism is a self-fulfilling prophecy.” If we begin
our PEs with a cynical attitude, we will not be able to see past the flaws and
will be unable to learn and grow from the experience. As Reich also said, “the
alternative to cynicism is to become more involved,” meaning that the only way for
us to break through our doubts and fears is to wholly throw ourselves into this
new experience-- aware of the flaws, but open to the possibilities.
Identifying
the problem is the first step toward making a change. Any recovering alcoholic
can tell you that. What I mean is that because we have first identified the
limitations of our PEs we will begin our practice experience already be aware
of many of the flaws, and will be able to get right down to the business of
understanding how those flaws could be/ are attempted to be mitigated. Because
of this framework we have already built we may be able to give our orgs some
really constructive feedback (or
maybe not). Either way, some of our experiences will be positive and
some will be negative, but they will all be learning experiences. In a larger
perspective, even this experience will be only one in a long process of learning
and growing that will help us to become the people we want to be, taking the
actions that we hope to take, but from a very grounded and realistic level. Our
PE experience, combined with future endeavors, will help us to decide which
forms of poverty alleviation we find the most intriguing and appropriate. Isn’t
that what this all boils down to? Every approach can be critiqued to death, but
in the end, for each of us, isn’t this about finding the approach that we
personally are excited about-- even after knowing its flaws?
Thank you Antonina. Your post was brought up in lecture this week and I had to check it out because I was feeling in some ways very disturbed on this topic. In some ways, what you wrote has definitely refocused my thoughts on the reasons why I set out to study global poverty.
ReplyDeleteI agree that in many ways, GPP 105 makes one critically analyze your PE organization in ways that are surprising and confusing. But this is what it’s all about. The only way to grasp the hard truths of global poverty and the ways in which to fix it is through critical analysis. Yet, this is by no means an excuse to stop the work anyone is doing. Recognizing the flaws of a project, a program, or an organization is important, but the action to fix those flaws or somehow allay them is arguably more important. Nothing is ever perfect and there is always room for improvement. For me, sometimes knowledge can lead to harsh realizations (i.e. ignorance is bliss), but knowing leads to action and I would never trade that in.
So thanks for the refocusing Antonina! I hope everyone else is able to grapple with any hard truths and keep going to do all the wonderful things that you all were motivated and inspired to do!