Showing posts with label haiti. Show all posts
Showing posts with label haiti. Show all posts

Sunday, December 30, 2012

What A Man Must Be

"What a man can be, he must be." - Abraham Maslow

Whenever I taught Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, I also taught my students about Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs, his theory of developmental psychology which posits that the final stage of development, self-actualization (the realization of our full potential), can be achieved only after all of our other needs have been met. It is a process that Shelley's amazingly articulate and introspective creature undertakes.

Those who control our broken world, I suspect, have a vested interest in inhibiting the achievement of self-actualization. By keeping wages low, cultivating resentments that keep us sniping at each other (eg. anti-unionism), and empowering oligarchical governments that ensure daily life is a struggle for so many, corporations, in their pursuit of profits at any price, leave a debris field of social, economic and environmental problems in their wake for others to worry about.

It is easy to become discouraged and cynical in such an environment, easy to forget that there is another dimension entirely to our existences, a dimension where the primacy of the self gives way to concern for the other. This broken world abounds with such examples, and every so often we need to be reminded of that fact.

That is why I was pleased to read a story in yesterday's Star by Catherine Porter about actor Sean Penn's ongoing direct and very personal involvement in the rebuilding efforts still underway in Haiti almost three years after its devastating earthquake.

A man who 'has it all' by Hollywood standards, Penn seems to have abandoned that comfortable life to work virtually full-time to help the island nation through the Jenkins/Penn Haitian Relief Organization (J/P HRO) which he formed with funding from Californian philanthropist Diana Jenkins. Hard-headed, pragmatic, and clearly not afraid of hard physical work, Penn understands that the rebuilding process will take many years, and uses a project-based approach to ensure tangible results, including

... two community health clinics, a bakery and, Penn’s favourite, a community centre. “Any day, you can see 50 kids taking judo classes and dance classes while adults are taking computer classes. It’s community, volunteer driven. We staff two supervisors,” he says. “I’d like to see it used as a model.”

And what does Penn get out of all of this? As he explained to Catherine Porter,

“The hardship that’s here allows an individual to feel alive with a clearer lens and more honest perspective” ... “You feel your life while you are living it.”

Has Sean Penn achieved self-actualization? I don't know. But without doubt, he has found real meaning in his life. May we all be so fortunate.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

A Story of What is Possible

As I get older, I find the cynicism that seemed to hold me in such good stead when I was younger just doesn't fill the bill anymore. Oh, it's true that I will likely never lose my deep suspicion, even contempt, for the majority of politicians, who usually seem to be out not to serve the people but rather themselves and the interests of their party. (Forgive the over generalization, but some habits die hard.)

In any event, I find myself looking increasingly for some 'good news,' stories that demonstrate our capacity to rise above our mere self-interest and do something meaningful and substantial for others. That criterion is met in an article from today's Star that tells the story of Carlos, a 13-year-old Haitian, one year after the earthquake. Written by Catherine Porter, it describes the efforts of a Canadian family and the difference they have made in the life of this boy and those around him. I hope you will take a few minutes to read it.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Another Catherine Porter Article on Haiti

This morning I read another article by the Star's Catherine Porter on Haiti, one that reminds us once again of the power we all have to make this world a slightly better place. It is a story both about a little girl in Haiti named Lovely Avelus and the effect she has had on the lives of others as they responded to that country's earthquake. It is a story that also reminds us of the truly valuable in this season of conspicuous consumption.

Friday, December 24, 2010

A Reminder of the World Outside Our Cocoon

There is a beautiful piece in today's Star by Catherine Porter, who has spent a great deal of time in Haiti since the earthquake. It is a reminder both of how fortunate we are, and also of our obligations to the larger world.