Tomorrow, I stand before group of judges. Men and women gathered by my school to judge "innovation."
For my part, I have created a plan to save one part of my small corner of the world. I've proposed to take $2000 of their dollars and spend them on invigorating an organization that serves homeless youth.
The plan is pretty basic. Gonna improve their training so they they get a larger volunteer base. Gonna create a development program to improve their leadership core. And lastly, gonna bring together members of the community (and homeless kids themselves) to brainstorm ways of reaching out.
I'm pretty stoked. This homeless thing has been a long time in formulating. I'm grateful that some of the fire and mission that started me on this venture is coming back around to really help those people who need it.
$2000 isn't that much. Not even two months rent back in my old place. But its something. Its a start. Could be a tipping point.
So now it's time to do this thing. I've survived skin rashes, mice sleeping on my face, wet and freezing nights, constant sickness, sleeping on the floor of my office, biking 100 miles a week with no car, and not to mention terrifying cops.
I think I can handle a couple of judges.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Effectiveness
Most altruists get over notions of social exchange. If I think someone else's life is as valuable as mine, I tend to do things for them without the expectation that they repay me.
But that isn't to say there are no expectations. Surely, being appreciated for an act of service is always nice, but that isn't really the kicker.
There is often the expectation that the service does something good. That our sacrifice was not in vein. People rarely do things for themselves that they don't think are going to work. So even if the value of another is mingled with the value of the self, if there is no chance that any intervention will work, action is unlikely.
This is important to keep in mind. As people who are striving to do good, hope is a crucial component. It is not enough to value the other. We must also foster the hopefulness that what we can do can help.
But that isn't to say there are no expectations. Surely, being appreciated for an act of service is always nice, but that isn't really the kicker.
There is often the expectation that the service does something good. That our sacrifice was not in vein. People rarely do things for themselves that they don't think are going to work. So even if the value of another is mingled with the value of the self, if there is no chance that any intervention will work, action is unlikely.
This is important to keep in mind. As people who are striving to do good, hope is a crucial component. It is not enough to value the other. We must also foster the hopefulness that what we can do can help.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Follow the manual
Many advocates of social exchange theory claim that altruism doesn't really exist. They point to the benefits of moral action, such as satisfaction, self esteem, the belief that good was done, and claim that those things were really the motivator. What seem to be altruistic persons are actually selfishly seeking their own satisfaction through helping others.
I find this patently ridiculous. For starters, how the hell do they know what motivates someone? Saying that everyone who ever did something good was really pursuing their own benefit is like saying that everyone who ever assembled something was really following the instruction manual.
Of course that's not true. There are people who manage to construct all sorts of things without ever looking at the instructions. But someone could of course come along, open the manual, and point to all the things that had been done.
Sure, but the truth of it is this: the crafter attended to the nature and structure of the task. He or she looked at the project, tried some things, felt around for what seemed best, used some intuition, and worked so that the ideal end came to pass. The fact that they performed as the manual deemed is due to the fact that the manual reflects the reality of the situation.
Likewise. Most moral decisions are made by looking, trying for some things, feeling around for what seems best, using some intuition, and working so that the ideal end comes to pass. And yes, this may follow a social scientific "manual" for how humans behave. It may be that altruists benefit from altruism. But this is due to the fact that benefits flow from the structure of morality, not the other way around.
Sure, some crafters use the manual, but others are directed by what is real. In this case, both the crafter's actions and the manual flow from what is real.
Similarly, some philanthropists do good to get good, but others are directed by what is good. In this case, both the altruist's actions and the benefits of helping others flow from what is good.
I find this patently ridiculous. For starters, how the hell do they know what motivates someone? Saying that everyone who ever did something good was really pursuing their own benefit is like saying that everyone who ever assembled something was really following the instruction manual.
Of course that's not true. There are people who manage to construct all sorts of things without ever looking at the instructions. But someone could of course come along, open the manual, and point to all the things that had been done.
Sure, but the truth of it is this: the crafter attended to the nature and structure of the task. He or she looked at the project, tried some things, felt around for what seemed best, used some intuition, and worked so that the ideal end came to pass. The fact that they performed as the manual deemed is due to the fact that the manual reflects the reality of the situation.
Likewise. Most moral decisions are made by looking, trying for some things, feeling around for what seems best, using some intuition, and working so that the ideal end comes to pass. And yes, this may follow a social scientific "manual" for how humans behave. It may be that altruists benefit from altruism. But this is due to the fact that benefits flow from the structure of morality, not the other way around.
Sure, some crafters use the manual, but others are directed by what is real. In this case, both the crafter's actions and the manual flow from what is real.
Similarly, some philanthropists do good to get good, but others are directed by what is good. In this case, both the altruist's actions and the benefits of helping others flow from what is good.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Constructing Identiteis
While with Stand Up tonight I met a man in a shelter whose son was in the age group we serve. He said his son was in the shower, and that he would go get him. After passing on the message, the father stood with us, explaining how his son had an open scholarship to a motorcycle management school, all he had to do was get his GED.
It struck me as interesting how quickly the homeless father offered this anecdote about his homeless son. The implicit message was clear: "My son isn't a bum, this is only a temporary thing."
It struck me as interesting how quickly the homeless father offered this anecdote about his homeless son. The implicit message was clear: "My son isn't a bum, this is only a temporary thing."
Friday, February 5, 2010
Danger Control
When people are exposed to fear appeals, there are two common responses, fear control and danger control.
Fear control is a maladaptive mechanism that involves reducing the fear the person is experiencing. This is done through a series of mental back-flips as the the thinker tries to feel better.
Danger control, on the other hand, invovles doing something about the problem.
Believing the world is a messed up place, for instance, is a form of fear control. If things are supposed to be fucked up, then there is less to be afraid of. Seeing a problem as someone else's problem is also fear control.
Perhaps the problem is we let ourselves think too much. When fear and uncertainty fire our nerves, how often do we seek calm? Should we instead seek action? Isn't that why there is adrenaline pumping through our veins?
Fear control is a maladaptive mechanism that involves reducing the fear the person is experiencing. This is done through a series of mental back-flips as the the thinker tries to feel better.
Danger control, on the other hand, invovles doing something about the problem.
Believing the world is a messed up place, for instance, is a form of fear control. If things are supposed to be fucked up, then there is less to be afraid of. Seeing a problem as someone else's problem is also fear control.
Perhaps the problem is we let ourselves think too much. When fear and uncertainty fire our nerves, how often do we seek calm? Should we instead seek action? Isn't that why there is adrenaline pumping through our veins?
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Outreach
Tonight was my first formal experience with homeless outreach. I've been carrying food for the poor for some time now to cover chance meetings, but apart from pulling quick u-turns to feed a man on the other side of the street, I haven't ever engaged in deliberate service.
Until tonight. Stand Up For Kids is an outreach organization here in the Phoenix area (national organization, actually) whose mission is to provide food, clothing, and other life essentials along with further information and positive relationships. I was introduced to the organization through a student in public speaking.
The organization is in the process of setting up a youth house to increase its ability to serve these kids. Now, law prohibits actually housing homeless under 18 (more on this odd convergence of laws later). But the purpose of this house is to provide the other elements of the home during daylight hours. Its a place to shower, hang out, cook meals, access the food and clothing bank, check the internet... etc.
Outreach for tonight in Phoenix is to meet at the Youth House. I get there about twenty minutes early. I call the outreach lead to make sure I'm in the right place. I am. So I wait, idly picking at white flakes of paint barely hanging onto the building. I hope Stand Up For Kids is renting it for a good price. Should I really be piking at the paint? No. Guess I'll have to paint it. I spend a few minutes wondering how to get paint donated.
The other two people on outreach show. The lead, a woman in her early thirties two months pregnant with her second child, has been doing this for four years. The other woman, in her early sixties with two children a little younger than me, has been at it for a year.
We pack the leads car with supplies (the van we usually use is unregistered) and drive around to the local homeless teenage hang outs. No luck. My companions say its hard to keep up, because as soon as the teens really settle into a place, the cops come and move them on. Don't I know how that works.
So its off to the shelters. Won't find any under 18 year olds, but some 18 to 21, likely. We drive past a pretty rough place my companions call "The Overflow" on our way to CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Service). CASS is a extensive facility that provides lots of different resources and represents the coalition of many different homeless organizations. It's a pretty impressive collaboration.
And so it begins. Some of the youth are pretty ordinary. Maybe their clothes are a bit unwashed, but pretty unnoticable. In a group of teens it would be pretty hard to pick them out. As I said, some of them are normal. Others have either emotional or developmental issues. When I first meet any of them, its all shields. There's this jaded savvy persona that gets performed. A toughness, not unlike the toughness I remember from some of my kids in my youth program. Its the non-verbal "Nobody loves me but I don't give a damn."
Anyway, I remember a particular exchange between two 21 year olds. The one has a job lined up, but doesn't have identification. So he needs his birth certificate. The second guy warns the first that most of those birth certificate websites are trying to steal your identity and set up credit cards in your name. The first says he knows, and that while he thinks this site is legit, he's gonna check his credit in a few days to make sure no body opened up an account. I find it both sad and ironic that a 21 year old homeless youth doesn't have enough of an identity to get a drivers license or a job, but still has to worry about his identity getting stolen.
Some of the youth are inspiring. One young woman we spoke to had just gotten into school after getting her GED and was now working as a telemarketer. At the same time, another is telling about her plans to move to Philly. She's seven months pregnant, and she wants to be homeless in Philadelphia in February. Not what I'd call a solid plan.
Maybe outreach to homeless is less radical than I thought. I guess it depends on the night.
Until tonight. Stand Up For Kids is an outreach organization here in the Phoenix area (national organization, actually) whose mission is to provide food, clothing, and other life essentials along with further information and positive relationships. I was introduced to the organization through a student in public speaking.
The organization is in the process of setting up a youth house to increase its ability to serve these kids. Now, law prohibits actually housing homeless under 18 (more on this odd convergence of laws later). But the purpose of this house is to provide the other elements of the home during daylight hours. Its a place to shower, hang out, cook meals, access the food and clothing bank, check the internet... etc.
Outreach for tonight in Phoenix is to meet at the Youth House. I get there about twenty minutes early. I call the outreach lead to make sure I'm in the right place. I am. So I wait, idly picking at white flakes of paint barely hanging onto the building. I hope Stand Up For Kids is renting it for a good price. Should I really be piking at the paint? No. Guess I'll have to paint it. I spend a few minutes wondering how to get paint donated.
The other two people on outreach show. The lead, a woman in her early thirties two months pregnant with her second child, has been doing this for four years. The other woman, in her early sixties with two children a little younger than me, has been at it for a year.
We pack the leads car with supplies (the van we usually use is unregistered) and drive around to the local homeless teenage hang outs. No luck. My companions say its hard to keep up, because as soon as the teens really settle into a place, the cops come and move them on. Don't I know how that works.
So its off to the shelters. Won't find any under 18 year olds, but some 18 to 21, likely. We drive past a pretty rough place my companions call "The Overflow" on our way to CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Service). CASS is a extensive facility that provides lots of different resources and represents the coalition of many different homeless organizations. It's a pretty impressive collaboration.
And so it begins. Some of the youth are pretty ordinary. Maybe their clothes are a bit unwashed, but pretty unnoticable. In a group of teens it would be pretty hard to pick them out. As I said, some of them are normal. Others have either emotional or developmental issues. When I first meet any of them, its all shields. There's this jaded savvy persona that gets performed. A toughness, not unlike the toughness I remember from some of my kids in my youth program. Its the non-verbal "Nobody loves me but I don't give a damn."
Anyway, I remember a particular exchange between two 21 year olds. The one has a job lined up, but doesn't have identification. So he needs his birth certificate. The second guy warns the first that most of those birth certificate websites are trying to steal your identity and set up credit cards in your name. The first says he knows, and that while he thinks this site is legit, he's gonna check his credit in a few days to make sure no body opened up an account. I find it both sad and ironic that a 21 year old homeless youth doesn't have enough of an identity to get a drivers license or a job, but still has to worry about his identity getting stolen.
Some of the youth are inspiring. One young woman we spoke to had just gotten into school after getting her GED and was now working as a telemarketer. At the same time, another is telling about her plans to move to Philly. She's seven months pregnant, and she wants to be homeless in Philadelphia in February. Not what I'd call a solid plan.
Maybe outreach to homeless is less radical than I thought. I guess it depends on the night.
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Get beyond yourself
Invest beyond yourself.
Too often we get invested in our identities, building ourselves up into something great.
But we are limited. Trying for greatness within ourselves is a finite endeavor, constrained by the physical and temporal boundaries that constrain us.
If you work in such a way that uncertainty and fear transforms into vision and courage, if you serve other people before yourself, investing in others, the work lives on long after you have gone.
This is the way great work gets done. Forget whose work it is.
Too often we get invested in our identities, building ourselves up into something great.
But we are limited. Trying for greatness within ourselves is a finite endeavor, constrained by the physical and temporal boundaries that constrain us.
If you work in such a way that uncertainty and fear transforms into vision and courage, if you serve other people before yourself, investing in others, the work lives on long after you have gone.
This is the way great work gets done. Forget whose work it is.
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