Dedication
Recently I finished reading Dian Fossey's novel, Gorillas in the Mist. The whole book got me thinking about what it means to really generate change in the world, and I've come to the conclusion that it takes a level of dedication and passion towards a specific cause that most humans simply don't possess.
It seems that people who have caused the most metamorphosis have in fact given their lives to the ideals to which they prescribe. It is this passion which I find so fantastic. For example, Fossey spent 13 years in the jungles of Rwanda dedicated to tracking, observing, and increasing the ability of the gorillas there to exist. She lived without luxuries, alone, and tagged with a nickname that translated means "the woman who has no man." She constantly ran into obstacles: poachers, bureaucracy, etc; yet she still stayed emphatic toward her research and cause. In the end, she was murdered due to this dedication.
Her story also reminded me of another man I admire, Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer is a man who has dedicated his life to providing medical care to impoverished people. In the Pulitzer prize winning book Mountains Beyond Mountains, the author, Tracy Kidder, describes all the years and effort Farmer has put in improving care in Haiti. In a time when so much of foreign aid fails, Farmer has succeeded through his immense passion to his cause. He is now working on replicating part of his programs here in Africa.
Perhaps what I find so incredible about these two individuals, and disheartening in myself, is the personal power they exude. I know I'm not a person who could dedicate my entirety to my village here. While I sit count the days until I can return to hot showers and the other comforts of America, these two actually game up all of themselves and as a result succeeded in making a difference.
Perhaps my real fear for developing nations is that the programs that actually make a huge difference, more often than not, cannot be replicated because the people who run them cannot be replicated. There are too few in the world willing to be a Fossey or a Farmer. My question is: What is it that can give a person that much heart, and what can I personally do to obtain it?
It seems that people who have caused the most metamorphosis have in fact given their lives to the ideals to which they prescribe. It is this passion which I find so fantastic. For example, Fossey spent 13 years in the jungles of Rwanda dedicated to tracking, observing, and increasing the ability of the gorillas there to exist. She lived without luxuries, alone, and tagged with a nickname that translated means "the woman who has no man." She constantly ran into obstacles: poachers, bureaucracy, etc; yet she still stayed emphatic toward her research and cause. In the end, she was murdered due to this dedication.
Her story also reminded me of another man I admire, Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer is a man who has dedicated his life to providing medical care to impoverished people. In the Pulitzer prize winning book Mountains Beyond Mountains, the author, Tracy Kidder, describes all the years and effort Farmer has put in improving care in Haiti. In a time when so much of foreign aid fails, Farmer has succeeded through his immense passion to his cause. He is now working on replicating part of his programs here in Africa.
Perhaps what I find so incredible about these two individuals, and disheartening in myself, is the personal power they exude. I know I'm not a person who could dedicate my entirety to my village here. While I sit count the days until I can return to hot showers and the other comforts of America, these two actually game up all of themselves and as a result succeeded in making a difference.
Perhaps my real fear for developing nations is that the programs that actually make a huge difference, more often than not, cannot be replicated because the people who run them cannot be replicated. There are too few in the world willing to be a Fossey or a Farmer. My question is: What is it that can give a person that much heart, and what can I personally do to obtain it?
posted by Cait at 10:13 AM
1 Comments:
I agree with you, that much of the failure of development/aid programs today is that it is impossible to replicate the people that originally had the heart and drive to create said programs. However, I think that it is not this simple.
You can have someone completely dedicated to a cause, but caught up in an inefficient, ineffective system or organization, and it will be quite difficult for the person to bring about true change because the larger operating level prevents it.
As for you and your desire to bring about change...don't beat yourself up for village life in SA not being your cause. You didn't choose to live in that particular village, or to teach that particular course at those particular schools. Their causes are not your causes. You landed there somewhat randomly, after expressing a desire to "do good" in the Peace Corps.
Now that you've had this experience, I'd imagine that you will, in fact, identify what it is that you are truly passionate about, and then go about dedicating yourself in the way you see fit.
Stay well.
Post a Comment
<< Home