A12

“…it’s not about changing the world; it’s about changing the square meter you’re standing on.”  This quote is an incredibly powerful one who’s central theme has come across many times in this course. We often talk about the scale of aid that different organizations have and whether it is too much or too little. Another quote that seems to relate to this one, that the Center for Leadership really pushes, is that of “think globally, act locally.” This idea is that we can think of broad scale problems but at the end of the day it is most important to enact change in areas that fit in your scope; sometimes this means staying in our own backyards. When we try to act too large then we end up stretching ourselves too thin, thus causing burnout, or we end up doing more harm than good. And, there are cases where the best thing is to stop, reassess, and then go again. That is my sentiment on the video.

For background, the video is one that has stuck in my head since we first watched it (SOC 376: 2/2019). It shows a man trying to throw starfish back into the ocean as the tide is falling but in the process he ends up killing a lot of those starfish. Another man comes up and after the first man leaves the second tries to pick up where the other left off and ends up also killing the starfish prematurely. In this situation, with the quote in mind, this is one of those cases where changing the square meter that one stands on means not doing anything. The first man never took the time to really stop and process what he was doing and thus he kept doing the same thing over and over again which meant causing more harm. His sentiments and heart were in the right place but we saw throwing as the best solution when maybe walking to and from the ocean would have been the place. He was trying to change the square meter he was standing on but only went through one step. The quote can make it sound like we only have one shot to change the world we live in but humanity is amazing in that we do have chance after chance (maybe if we slow down global warming who knows I think we are running out of chances but I digress). The man in the video used one chance, and another, and another. But, he never stopped to look at his process to find another way. This is a big problem in the sector, I feel, is that there are groups that know what they are doing is not working but instead of thinking it is them causing the problem it is like they assume that the community is just not ready to receive help and that’s why their tactics aren’t working. Further, the problems facing aid workers today extends far past just natural disaster relief; we have wars, civil wars, genocides, political corruption, the list goes on. The aid sector was not designed for that and they are currently running themselves ragged trying to help everyone without the right tools (Gahrib, 2017). It is like they are constantly throwing starfish in the ocean but they aren’t looking back to see if the starfish made it because there are so many others that need help.

As for Dawes, I think his response would be rather similar to mine. This quote is one that he uses to explain how aid worker can stay sane in the sector. They see so much widespread hurt and pain, especially in war zones, that there has to be something for them to look at to feel as if they are still making a difference. The quote reminds aid workers that even if they are working in one small village in a region of wide spread war they are still making a difference. I like the example Dawes uses when comparing the work of the aid sector to that of politicians: you go in with all the optimism of the world and then once you’re in you realize you have to narrow your focus on smaller things (Dawes, 2007). Even with the smaller things in mind you are still making a difference. The atrocities that aid workers see are emotionally and psychologically damaged so as Dawes implies that quote could be the only thing to get them through. Dawes follows this throughout that chapter explaining the impact of in indirect ways. The aid workers have to see things in perspective to truly get through their times.

 

 

Arcaro , Tom. “Humanitarian Crises Around the World.” SOC371. SOC371, Elon, NC

 

Dawes, James. That the World May Know Bearing Witness to Atrocity. Harvard University Press, 2007.

 

Gharib, Malaka. “Humanitarian Aid Is ‘Broken,’ Says Former U.N. Official.” NPR, NPR, 22 June 2017, www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2017/06/22/533639073/what-s-wrong-with-humanitarian-aid.

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One Comment

  1. Posted May 8, 2019 at 12:19 pm | Permalink

    I love the quote you start with, I think it is important to remember that one person can not completely fix all the problems in the world but that we can all do a little bit to improve things. You do a great job of bringing it back to Elon’s own philosophy as well. Lol loved your call out about climate change! I definitely agree with how you bring it back to Dawes and to the aid sector; if every humanitarian went into the job thinking they could change the world in the span of their career, they would easily and quickly lose hope and ability to work.