To the River
"It's good to pull people out of the river when they're drowning, but it's also good to go upriver to see who's throwing them in the river."
Working with individuals after they have been abused, undervalued, and bullied has some merit. It is the same noble philosophy behind the parable of the starfish. There are thousands of life-sapped starfish lying on the shore. We can not save them all but we can make a difference for at least one, if not a few, by throwing it back into the ocean.
But what if we did take a stroll upriver and discovered why people are dying in rivers in the first place? What if the reason that the starfish are all gasping for breath on the sand is because some barge has contaminated their watery domain?
A 15-year old girl from a small town does not end up in jail, doing drugs, and dropping out of school because she is inherently flawed. She was born to a dad who wanted a son instead, a mom who shoots up instead of buying groceries, goes to a school with zero tolerance and zero alternatives for "kids like her", and tried a church that wanted her to look less like a boy and more like a lady.
A four year old Ayore child does not board buses by himself to sing and dance for .07 cents of his own volition. A 10 year old Ayore girl does not decide to sleep with an old man for $100 an hour. Their parents choose this for them but their choice is rooted in the harsh reality of poverty and marginalization that began when their culture was stripped away by the invasion of Europeans and corporations in search of petrol-gold.
A middle aged refugee claimant did not come to Canada because he wanted to steal our jobs and milk the system. He fled his home and left lucrative employment because he objected to how multinational companies were not only raping his country of mineral resources but they were committing the violation on the backs of children. Now, he ekes out an existence on the few hundred dollars that Ontario Works provides for his family of four each month.
People need to be pulled out of rivers and starfish should be thrown back into the sea, but there are reasons why they are drowning and dying. I was mad enough to go back for my Master of Social Work not because I want to forsake the individual but I want to understand the larger systems that are working against them...only to discover that I am a part of the larger system that oppresses and throws people into the river. As a white, middle-class Christian with money in my pocket and a car on the road, I am automatically associated with the injustice that I hate.
Acknowledging this association, it will not deter me or what I do, even if it does make my head and heart ache. I do not imagine that all of this can be remedied in this world, but God help me, I am going to walk upriver to find out why people are tossing other people into the river and do something about it.
But what if we did take a stroll upriver and discovered why people are dying in rivers in the first place? What if the reason that the starfish are all gasping for breath on the sand is because some barge has contaminated their watery domain?
A 15-year old girl from a small town does not end up in jail, doing drugs, and dropping out of school because she is inherently flawed. She was born to a dad who wanted a son instead, a mom who shoots up instead of buying groceries, goes to a school with zero tolerance and zero alternatives for "kids like her", and tried a church that wanted her to look less like a boy and more like a lady.
A four year old Ayore child does not board buses by himself to sing and dance for .07 cents of his own volition. A 10 year old Ayore girl does not decide to sleep with an old man for $100 an hour. Their parents choose this for them but their choice is rooted in the harsh reality of poverty and marginalization that began when their culture was stripped away by the invasion of Europeans and corporations in search of petrol-gold.
A middle aged refugee claimant did not come to Canada because he wanted to steal our jobs and milk the system. He fled his home and left lucrative employment because he objected to how multinational companies were not only raping his country of mineral resources but they were committing the violation on the backs of children. Now, he ekes out an existence on the few hundred dollars that Ontario Works provides for his family of four each month.
People need to be pulled out of rivers and starfish should be thrown back into the sea, but there are reasons why they are drowning and dying. I was mad enough to go back for my Master of Social Work not because I want to forsake the individual but I want to understand the larger systems that are working against them...only to discover that I am a part of the larger system that oppresses and throws people into the river. As a white, middle-class Christian with money in my pocket and a car on the road, I am automatically associated with the injustice that I hate.
Acknowledging this association, it will not deter me or what I do, even if it does make my head and heart ache. I do not imagine that all of this can be remedied in this world, but God help me, I am going to walk upriver to find out why people are tossing other people into the river and do something about it.
posted by FFG @ Tuesday, October 11, 2011
5 comments
5 Comments:
Nicely put Marcee! Excellent...
It's why I keep coming back here even when you only post once in a blue moon... =)
Lately I've been needing clarity. I stumbled upon your link and found myself reading your blogs again Marge. Thanks for sharing!
I totally agree.. we need to get to the root causes of social issues! But in this day and age, society wants quick fixes. People want to get rid of the "problem", rather than solve it patiently and rationally. No one wants to invest time and $ and stick to long term solutions. Canada wants to be hard on crime and lock away these "problems" in high security penitentiaries, instead of alleviating the real problems that cause crime in the first place: poverty, the breakdown of family, the effects of colonialism, people's sense of entitlement, the lack of community... etc.
I am happy for you Marge but also feel a little apprehensive, knowing that you're back doing your masters now. My condolences! HA! It's sad but I think I have become more jaded as a result of law school and find myself bitter and depressed after graduating. For personal reasons as well. But mostly I was tired of the system too. It's sickening to realize that we are part of this system isn't it? I just hope that our Father will keep you optimistic!
Your words are encouraging and I thank you for your perseverance Marge!!
Hopefully we'll be hearing a lot of splashing in the river in the next little while... not from people being thrown in, but because people are willing to get wet, to jump in voluntarily, struggle, wrestle with those upriver, thrash around and attempt to set things right.
Marge, you need to be careful with your words...you're inspiring me to think about social work! :)
Thanks for this wonderful post.
Ken, thanks for tracking with my randomness.
Ee Wei, I hear you. I feel the pull to despair and helplessness in such a screwed up society, but you've still got it clear enough to work through it all and know that our hope is above.
Kayleen, you're my girl, thanks for your kindred heart.
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