Four Levels of Involvement

Hello hello! How are you? Well, I have a couple of thoughts right now, and they are young so there is room for them to grow and your input would be greatly appreciated.

But first, I would like to thank all of you again for reading. More importantly though, I want to thank you for your kind words, your love, your care, your support and your wisdom. It really is nourishing to know that I am making people proud and happy. So thank you for your love.

Now, I was talking to my work partner Christine the other day and we were talking about how involved people get in the world. I thought of it more and he are my thoughts.

I, as noted, by your experience with me or your reading this blog, am a person that believes that in any situation you are either an oppressor or the oppressed. Nuetrality is inevitably a place for the oppressor in the fact that it continues the status quo, which in turn, inevitably creates oppression. Not until there is no oppression will nuetrality cease to be oppressive. Now, that is not to say the oppressed should go ¨crazy¨and violently oppress the oppressors, but rather it means we must be deliberate in our actions. We must choose to fight against oppression. Whether it is speaking up when we hear a racial slur, or where we choose to put our money, or how we treat those around us, we must fight (again this does not mean violently) against oppression.

One of the problems though is that many people, myself included, do not take note when they are oppressing others. Of course, so forms are more detrimental than others, but we inadvertantly oppress at times. This does not inherently make us bad people, but rather creates the opportunity for learning, growth, change and justice. One more thing, is that this fight against oppression must be rooted in love.

But how do we act in love, especially if we are not aware that we oppress at times? Well, obviously, there is not just one answer or action which we can turn to in order to act with love. One thing we can look to however, is our level of involvement in the world around us.

We are human beings, which means we are social and historical beings. It also means, while reason is a large piece of our action, emotion determines much of what we do as well. Our emotion is often the combined result of our experience, our expectations, our education, and a number of other factors. What I have found a result to be then is four levels of involvement. Apathy, Perifery, Mid-Involvement, and Immediate. (These names are things I´m thinking of at the moment, just to make it easier to understand, they should probably be renamed).

Apathy/Disinterest: This is the first level of involvement. We hear of an issue, a situation or event and we either pay no attention to it, or the attention we do pay to it, we shurg off. We very quickly, within minutes if not seconds go back to our lives, in our own world. Something very individualistic that we all do, myself included.

Perifery: This is the second level of involvement. We hear of a situation and we are moved by it, if not greatly, at least momentarily. We hear of an event, a natural disaster possibly or a tragedy in the city we live, and maybe we donate money, or talk about it with others. We want to do something, but we still keep the event at a distance.

Mid-Involvement: This is the third level. In this piece someone very close to us has been affected by something. Maybe it is a drunk driving accident and a close friend is injured to which we then take an active measure to stop drunk driving. Or the hurricane finally devistates our own friends and we begin to not just donate supplies, but also campaign for donations. We prepare and help others prepare when the next occurs, and regardless of location, at home or abroad, we help in the efforts to create safety and good health, dignity in the lives of those affected.

Immediate: Finally, this is the four level of involvemet. This is when the situation or event either happens to us or our immediate family. We are deeply taken, moved, hurt by the event. Its proximity to us changes us forever. We are now active in what it means to combat said event, say cancer resulting from cigarette use for example. Or another example would be family members who are connected to the unjust wages abroad and at home, which translate into low prices for consumers. Often times, when this stage is reached, I think people say ¨I never thought this could happen to me.¨ If the conversion and experience is genuine, I think this degree of involvement, for said situation, remains a lifetime, if not passed on through immediate generations.

If you notice, the levels grow in care for the greater community, while they impact more personally. Obviously, none of what I have said is new, I know people know this, but I like defining it to then reflect on it more. But level four for example, creates the opportunity to understand a great interconnectedness in the world. This is also connected to a vulnerability. Globalization is bringing products and services to the elite of the world, myself included, but our awareness of the world much more widely understood today because of globalization, must also be an avenue in which we can care for others and not just benefit from them.

Now, I by no means am saying that a person cannot be actively involved in creating justice without reaching this fourth level. In fact, there are no absolutes in this world. Those things that are most constant and life giving, are, I believe, related to God, which is love. So of course, some of us are actively involved without ever being closely impacted, but I think these four levels of involvement are a good preliminary benchmark for how people interact with the world. Again, the deeper we get in involvement, the greater force of love we have driving us. Love and care for the world. The trick then, is to get to this level four, hopefully without getting too hurt, and staying there.

And we can get to this fourth level, this immediate involvement in the world, without having a directly personal experience. But let us warn ourselves that it is an initially EXHAUSTING undertaking. Not so much to get to this fourth level of involvement, but to act on it. You see, we can be told something or see it, and sometimes, we will be genuinely moved to conversion (this often happens with religions), but is the continuous effort to act on it that is difficult, especially for the elite in the world such as ourselves.

Now, let me clarify something so that I do not sound contradictary. Typically to get to the fourth level of involvement we must have the personal experience mentioned. But that personal experience acts as a catalyst to a universal love (again, often shared if not preached by those who are truly faithful to their life-giving religion). Universal, agape, love. Care for the world and for its justice and the dignity of its people, as a priority over self interest and ¨survival¨ is what drives all action. While I think the fourth level creates a universal love, I do not think that you necessarily need the fourth level to have a universal and genuine love. Make sense?

I hope I am not losing you, but I am starting to lose myself, so I will wrap up. Again, all of this needs a lot of work. BUT! When we have a universal, agape, genuine love, when we become immediately involved (which is often the result of a personal experience), it is then that we can change the world and fight this oppression.

For us, and for all, it means deliberate action. It means divesting money from companies that use unfair labor. It means the wealthy do not by second homes, much less purchase affordable housing. It even means, not buying clothes from salvation army for example when you can afford other things (I am guilty of this one too). It means a radical financial re-investment in the world, so that 5% of the world´s population (the U.S.) does not control over 50% of the world´s wealth. It means keeping opportunities and options avaiable for the poor. It means taking an active role in forming some sort of relationship with political representatives and Congresspeople so that influence can be made on decisions (after all, friendship is the greatest convertor, and friendship of course, is rooted in love, we seem to be encountering a common thread here). It means to not take more than we need esepcially when there is a limited supply. It means to give from our reserves and not just our abundance.

It is hard, and I cannot do it. I fall victim to the luxaries that I have grown up with and cannot depart from currently. For example, I throughly enjoy movies. Here they are really cheap. I will buy some. You could argue it either way. One is I am buying from the salvation army here when I could buy at a movie store in the States, and I am taking away from those here. You could also say, there is no unjust labor in these DVD stores and I am just contributing to the economy. You could also argue that the money saved on buying the movies as oppossed to in the States here can later be donated to some other cause. You could also argue I do not need the movies to be happy, which is true. But like most things in life we are attached to, it is not healthy nor realistic to stop using them all at once (nor are all attachments life-taking), but we should do our best to detach ourselves where possible, whilst still being present and living with love.

Sometimes we need things to be present. If we wanted a soda for example, and we were thinking all day how much we wanted that soda and not paying attention to the world around us, then we should just get the soda, and start living. But, as mentioned, we must do our best to indulge ourselves in the things that are universal in this world, such as the company of one another.

You see how tiring it is to take action and be deliberate. It is just tiring to read this and think of it let alone act on it. It is hard but it is a task worth embarking on, and when it is rooted in love, it will be fruitful for all in the world.

And finally, and most importantly, while it is good to think and reflect, we must act. We need to live. And as a good friend told me once, ¨the greatest form of resistance is to celebrate life in every moment.¨

Thanks for reading, if you have thoughts on how to refine these words, let me know please. I am sending my love and prayers and thoughts and hoping to receive your airconditioning because it is HOT here. Paz!

A Selfish Year

The formating didn´t work on this comp, so it might be spaced out weird sorry...

Well, well, well...we meet again! I have been out and about doing a number of things and I apologize it has been a while since I last wrote.

Before I came to Ecuador, I knew this year was part¨selfish.¨ I wanted to be in South America, in a country that enjoyed soccer, had good food, had a program where I could live in community, where I could live in an impoverished area, and be told what to do for a while. I wanted it to be a time where I could discern what the next steps of my life were. Whatever I wanted, it is what I wanted. Of course, I discerned the program and it felt right to come to Ecuador, but for the most part it was to answer desires and needs within myself. It was not to come to ¨make a difference¨ or to ¨save anyone¨ from anything, not to say that that is the mentality of anyone here. But this year was to take my time, enjoy myself, and figure out pieces of my future.

As a result, I get very excited about my future! There are so many possibilities and options that blow my mind and I enjoying thinking about them. The thoughts I have include, living in Argentina next year. Trying out for a soccer team. Possibly doing a masters program in Argentina. Doing a masters program at BC, or another Jesuit university. Opening up an eatery in some Latin American beach town. Riding a bicycle through pieces of the Americas. And then of course, the great excitement, but patience, for children. All of these, of course are great thoughts. The problem is, when I think of them, I stop living in the present with those around me, and turn in to my own little world. (Not too mention, when we are living we listen to what God and the world wants from us and our plans and desires inevitably change.)

Therefore, when I am out of the present, thinking of the joys of the future, I grow in guilt. Guilt that I do not appreciate the joys of the present and guilt that I am doing a disservice to the world and those around me, denying them my love and closing off to receiving their love. All for the sake of my thoughts and excitements of the future. There are countless joys in the present! Of course, it is not bad to think of the future and to be excited for the beauties that lie ahead, but for me, in order to transform the world, to create justice and breed love, (all reason why we live I believe) we must be in the present.

When we are present we form relationships and nourish ourselves and the those around us. And when we are present we nourish God. For me, we reach God in one another and in Nature. But to do so, we must be present and feel our emotions and partake in what we have around us. There is nothing like sharing conversation, work, play, fear with one another for we share in God. And when we stand barefoot and let the grass caress our feet, or marvel at the stars in all their wonder, or feel the wind play with our hair or push our body, it is as if we are kissing God. And when these two are combined, relationships and Nature, we are in true harmony of what it means to love and be loved. It is then when we find our humanity, divinity and joy.

Of course, not all moments are good and we are in pain. There is a lot of perpetual suffering and innocent who hurt. Perpetual suffering is a real kick. But when we experience things together, in silence, tears and confusion, when we question, when we become vulnerable with one another, showing our weakness, which is to say our humanity, we come that much closer to love, peace and justice. When we do come together in our weakness, it is there that we become strong and we can take more action as a group, be it collaborating or lobbying for an issue, or building a well, or opening up a shop, or placing someone in power or righting the wrong caused by blind oppression (because the oppressors rarely recognize what they are doing, hell I oppress at times).

Justice, peace and deeper love are the result of our love and desire to share in the humanity and divinity of each. There is a dignity within each person, that is fulfilled most when we are present, and we look the person in the eye, our lover or a beggar, and give them our love and more importantly maybe, receive theirs.

I recognize, that this desire to create justice and breed love, through being present and creating relationships is not exclusive to Ecuador. It can be done anywhere, at anytime, by all people. And that is why I say this year is part selfish . I wanted to be here, (let me say too that I trust there is a deeper reason as to why I am here), but what happens here is not particular to Ecuador. It is particular to the possibility of all of as humans as children of Love, that is, children of a God of all. We can all create change and breed love, and we need to, because there is some tough stuff going on in this world, but we are stronger than the suffering.

So we will see what the future holds for me personally, after all surprises are nice. And if we listen to our heart, as The Little Prince reminds us, we cannot go wrong. My mom always told me to listen to my heart for it is where God dwelled inside me, and it has not steered me wrong yet.

Other than that, things have been becoming more ¨normal¨ here, that is to say, while I learn everyday, I am a little less surprised and more aware. I have been confirmed by many to ask the ¨poor¨ who the poor are and what poverty is (many think it is those without values, confirming that inability to look at poverty as simply an economic state), and am reminded in the need to hold a child who is crying after she has fallen for in that moment, that is the only thing in the world that matters.

Finally, to show you the craziness that can be Ecuador, I passed a school Thursday which had about 100 6-11 year olds hulded around a twenty foot pole at the end of the school day. At the top of the pole was rice, flour, snacks, daipers, soda, toothpaste, a number of treats. The kids had to climb up the pole to get the treats. BUT! there was a catch, the pole was covered in grease HAHA Palo Encevado they call it. It was hillarious! You had all these kids standing on each other, climbing up the pole like Cirque du Soleil and parents and kids laughing galore, oohing and ahhing as kids slid down and steped on one another. I have the pictures on a friends camera, I will try to get them up soon. It was great!

I leave you now with some pictures and gratitude for reading my blog. Thank you again for your comments, prayers and love. I am thinking of all with whom my path has crossed and am grateful for all of it. Peace amigos! http://santiagobuncevalente.blogspot.com/ (for pictures).