"Fixing and helping
create a distance between people, but we cannot serve at a distance. We
can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected."
In
GPP 115, I was introduced to the term "Voluntourism." At first,
I dismissed that this term would ever apply to me, thinking that I more
invested in my minor than those "resume builders."
Nevertheless, that topic made me think about my role and impact in my
Practice Experience. Would I be doing more harm than good, or would
I be that privileged person who imposes herself on the community I try to
help?
After
reading Talwalker's "What Kind of Global Citizen is the Student
Volunteer?" and participating in this week’s discussion, I have begun to
think more critically about my intentions.
However,
when I think about it, everyone’s intentions are different. While
listening to everyone, I noticed that no one’s thoughts toward their practice
experience were the same. Some thought that the selfishness to want
to change the world was necessary, while others thought that it was impossible
to make a difference in the world. I, on the other hand, was afraid of
speaking up because of the fear of saying the wrong answer. By taking
courses such as GPP, were we further separating ourselves from the communities
we try to help? By wanting to make a difference, were imposing our
desires negatively on others?
To
me, I wanted to do my practice experience because I thought of it as a two-way
street. While I was contributing my knowledge and resources to the
community, the community was teaching me about myself and its culture.
Maybe that thought was too idealistic to others, but it was what I
believed in. I realized that our ideas were so different, that maybe it
is not our intentions that we have to be wary of, but our approach. This
reminded me of a article I read while participating in the Public Service
Center.
Rachel
Naomi Remen's article, "Helping, Fixing, or Serving?" talks about
three different approaches: Helping, Fixing, and Serving.
"When
we help, we become aware of our own strength. But when we serve, we don't
serve with our strength; we serve with ourselves, and we draw from all of our
experiences...Service is a relationship between equals: our service strengthens
us as well as others. Fixing and helping are draining, and over time we
may burn out, but service is renewing."
Our
time at our practice experience is short, and therefore there is a low chance
that we will make a lasting contribution to the communities we seek to
impact. Even if our practice experiences
were longer, we do not have the extensive knowledge about our sectors, nor do
we have firsthand experience on the inequalities that are there. In discussion, Professor Talwalker talked
about a student who came back with cynicism because the locals refused to
accept his “better” situation. Seeking
to help or fix a situation will only lead to burning out and cynicism. Doing so is imposing one’s “better” education
on the community. Maybe it isn’t our
education and knowledge that will impact our communities, but our humanity—our desire
to learn their culture and work with them hand-in-hand to find a solution
together.
“Service
is not an experience of strength of expertise; service is an experience of
mystery, surrender and awe. Helpers and
fixers feel causal.”
Thank you for your blog post. I feel that you touched on some very important issues that are at the very heart of being a part of the GPP minor, as well as wanting to engage in poverty alleviation. Why do I want to do this? Do I act for my own benefit, i.e., resume building, leadership experience, cultural/language learning, experiencing the world, alleviating the guilt we feel for the impoverished? Or do we act for idealist goals, such as changing the world, helping those in need, empowering those in low-income communities, etc.? Is it wrong to be motivated by a combination of these selfish and "pure" ideals? To go even further, how guilty should we feel about the amount of money and materialism we have in our lives when we aim to lift the world out of poverty? Are we hypocrites if we do not make personal sacrifices to aid others, but rather live luxurious lives? Is there an "acceptable" amount of comfort those working in poverty alleviation are morally allowed to have? These are questions that I struggle to answer every time a homeless person asks me for money or food in Berkeley. However, I believe it ultimately comes down to perspective. We must be flexible and able to listen to and learn from people from all walks of life, and realize that during our practice experiences, the impoverished communities in which we work may give us more than we reciprocate. If we are able to have an open-minded and compassionate perspective, I believe we can do far greater "good" in the world.
ReplyDeleteFirst of, I really like the quote you put in the beginning. Second, I also struggle with the same questions you and Erin pointed out. Like Erin, I also think it boils down to how we look at things and that we must be open and flexible to whatever our practice experiences will teach us. In addition, I also think that it also important for us to keep holding on to our dreams of doing good in the world and not be easily discouraged by the somewhat cynical way we sometimes look at our intentions of helping others. But don't get me wrong, I think the way we challenge our intentions of being in the minor and wanting to do good is crucial as it makes us grow as individuals, as community members, and just as part of this world. :)
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