The Danger of a Single Story

So I thought I would post a couple of thought provoking videos and an article for this week's post. Yes they are a bit lengthy and you don't have to watch them all if you don't want. But even if you do watch just one or part of one, I hope it can spark some inner dialogue. The first deals more with cultural perceptions. I would recommend watching the video first before reading the article in order to have some background.

This is the article: http://thoughtcatalog.com/2013/educating-america-diminishing-africas-single-story/


This next video is by Brene Brown. You may notice she is also the author of the book Hierald gave everyone at orientation. Her talk on vulnerability was actually very inspirational to me in college and helped influence the way I view vulnerability and what it can mean.

 Again, I hope these videos and their themes will spark dialogue with people you interact with or even just inner dialogue. My challenge to all of you is to see how we can begin practicing vulnerability or the awareness of different stories in our own lives and communities right now. One of the biggest human temptations is to say "I'll do it tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll start being a better person. Tomorrow I will smile more. Tomorrow I will start being more inclusive." What ends up happening, we all know too well, is that "tomorrow" never happens. So I hope we can all start being more aware and practicing some of what we have been reflecting and learning about NOW in our current communities so we won't be completely unprepared when leaving the country. Buena Suerte! (Good luck in Spanish lol) Feel free to comment about anything!   

Community Is Not Perfect

After living in community for five years—a year in the freshmen dorms, two years living in the Multifaith Living Community (MLC), a year living with volunteers abroad, and a final year at the MLC—I’m at home with my family. In brainstorming ideas for this reflection, I spent considerable mental energy trying to convince myself that my family was not community: their support in my attempts to consume less and use less technology is limited; they feed me close-ended questions and bicker too much; they don’t challenge each other spiritually or ask interesting and thought-provoking questions. But I’ve had community members who did not support each other fully, who retreated into their rooms and didn’t engage with us, who bickered face-to-face or who refused to talk to each other, who lied or were passive-aggressive, who blamed others for all the community problems or who never apologized. Why was I trying to define community as perfect? Then, I began to see all the reasons my family actually is community: because we have a hard time communicating, but sometimes try; because though many times we’re not happy to see each other, frequently we are; because even when we don’t know how to help each other, we do see each other through our ups and downs; because we show our love and affection in strange ways—but we show it; because even when the day consists of bickering, we can laugh together; because even though being together can be beyond frustrating, we haven’t given up on each other.

So here I am, home in this strange in-between time, frequently frustrated but exactly where I want to be. I’m very much a part of the need for growth my family—my current community—has, and I’m willing to be part of that growth.

Community is not perfect. I think it is the desire of community members to work on things—hopefully to work through things—together that make them a community.

For those of you who have time and would like to reflect about, act upon, or respond to this theme of community more, here are some ideas for ways you can go about doing this. Scan through them and chose one or two you’d like to do over the next week or month.

~ Read this article about the Multifaith Living Community. Think about: What do you need from those around you to feel comfortable and respected? What triggers you to feel uncomfortable or shut off from connecting with others? What theme(s) are you most and least comfortable discussing with others? What barriers have you seen others put up (healthy or unhealthy) that inhibited personal relationships? What barriers to you put up or have you put up in the past in personal relationships?

~ I have found that it is very important to be able to articulate one’s habits, tendencies, and needs in community. You may find what you learn through these online enneagram, Myers-Briggs, love languages, and/or conflict management styles tests interesting ways to learn about yourself and begin to articulate who you are. It’s also great to learn about the infinite other places people can come from and helpful to realize that there are so many different ways to be as people. (I know in Ciudad Sandino the JVs all know their enneagram number, so I’m glad Maddie encouraged me to learn mine.)

~ I asked some of my past community mates at the MLC to philosophize about what community is to them. Reflect on what they have said. What most stands out to you? With what do you agree or disagree? What reminds you of a personal story? Please share if you would like!

 “Community shatters preconceptions, perpetually reinforces character, and inherently breathes and lives the very things that make us human - both the good and the bad. We go into a community knowing little, and we a leave a community knowing just a little bit more. And with that in mind, we still have much left to discover and a whole world to change.”

“Community is about not being afraid to show your dirty laundry because you've already seen everyone else's. It's about not having to fake a smile, but doing it anyways just out of decency. Community is about being okay with who you are and with who everyone else is, because we're all trying and everyone knows it.”

“Community is having someone to say hi to after having even the worst day.”

“Community is partially derived from the word "munis," which, in Latin, means gift. Therefore, community literally means those who share a common gift. In my opinion, that gift is each other. That gift is the community.”

“I think that it's really cool that the word "unity" is in the actual word. Just sayin'.”

 “Community is forcing yourself to be outside of your comfort zone. Community is recognizing that you can be wrong and people make mistakes. Community is needing to be patient with others because they will teach you everything you need to know about life. Community is making an effort not to leave passive aggressive notes on white boards and post-its and instead having direct, honest, and open communication. Community is everything, but you need to put as much into it as you expect to receive.”

~ In response to the first quote above (my personal favorite), what steps can you take to begin breaking down your preconceptions now,  to begin recognizing that you know nothing about those around you? Try to do this more intentionally either for a day or for a conversation or in a certain situation you frequently encounter. If you’d like, tell us about your experience!

~ Share a story with us—good or bad, with or without a happy ending—from your experience living in community!

What do we consider Doing Justice vs. providing Charity?

Hey all!! sorry for the late post, long weekend...  I had a lot of thoughts for what to post about for this topic (doing justice) but I thought i might try to provoke a bit of conversation and reflection. (who knows if it will work...)

Last week I was at the gym and found myself staring at an infomercial for Feed The Children.  My initial reaction was frustration. While I appreciate that this type of charity does provide much needed food for families that would likely die without it, I often feel like these programs can do more harm than help.  On the one hand, those donating have the ability to push the true suffering that is occurring out of their minds by simply donating "a dollar a day." Yet at the same time, that money may be doing little to address this suffering.  Despite the importance of funds for food and medical support that these programs provide, we ought to be critical of the percentage of the money that actually reaches those in need and in what form.

In one clip of this advertisement a worker is handing out bottled water to a flock of African children.  An effective tool for fundraising I am sure, but I couldn't help but wonder if the money spent on that one shipment of water might have funded a well that would last fro generations instead.  This, for me, is why all work of justice or even charity ought to start with solidarity.  Living with those we see as in need can teach us what they really desire rather than believing that we may have the answers to their problems.

I have been reflecting on this dynamic between charity and solidarity and its relationship to what we will be doing in country and my own Send Me to Serve campaign.  Why is the JVC modle of service so attractive to me? How do I see myself as a person who is both recieving financial assistance from others but still a "volunteer" for the community I will be entering? What, if anything, do I have to give to my community in Tacna? Ect. Ect.  But rather than sharing my initial thoughts I would love to hear what you all think about the difference, or maybe similarity between these sorts of charity organizations and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, between what we will be doing and those missionaries who hand out rice and water to starving children.  Comments encourages!!

Long-overdue Community Building Post

My fellow late departures,

How are all of you?? I am excited to hopefully hear from some of you in the comments section about reactions to this post/more ideas about community building.

I thought about community building, in relation to the JVC covenant, in two different ways: within our JV community and with the community we serve.

Watch these videos first: (If you just watch the first one, that would be fine, but watching them all gives you the full context of the artist's story)
Part 1:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWE2T8Bx5d8
Part 2:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_VstiM5NOI
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAvNHSmk9vI

 I chose this video, even though it has very little to do with Nicaragua or any other country we are headed to with the JVC.  Faviana Rodriguez is an artist/activist/teacher/public speaker (aka an extraordinary woman) who speaks out against hate rhetoric and unfair legislation against migration and immigration.

She uses the Monarch butterfly as a symbol for the inherent dignity and beauty found in every person, but especially in poorly treated migrants in the USA. She represents her community and builds up their self-esteem and rights. We might not necessarily be doing amazing things like Faviana, but we should seek out and support women and men like her in our communities where we will be serving. Whatever their medium is (i.e. art, music, drama, education, etc.), I think we should stand in solidarity with the helpers and advocates in the communities we serve. 

The videos are incredibly interesting. Watch them!

Con cariño,
Maddie