Blog 13: Altruism and Religion

One of the hardest things that I have had to balance throughout my social work education is the values of my "religion" versus the values of social work. I grew up in a family were republican and Christian went hand in hand, and no one ever told me that they didn't mean the same thing. I spent most of my high school and early college years thinking that to be a "good little Christian", I had to uphold all the conservative republican beliefs.

However, the more I actually study and pursue Christianity and the more I have learned about social work values, I don't find them to be all that different for me even though they fall more on the liberal side of the scale. The value that I hold on to most in social work is the dignity and worth of every single person. That is one of the main aspect of the Gospel I believe in, that even though we as people mess up and do horribly evil things (yes, all of us, not just the "bad people"), we are worth something that a God would chose to lay down His life for us. (And even if you don't believe that to be true, the idea of it is so inspiring to be loved that much for doing nothing) So I find those values to line up, and I aspire to loving people well for who they are, not what they can be.

I have also struggled a lot with reconciling this loving God that I believe in, with all the brokenness and inequality in this world. But today I was reading this in my Bible, "whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors Him." (Proverbs 14:31) This made me think about being generous and altruism in general. This is one of the core ways that I can both serve my God and serve my community. I can generously give my time and money to people who need it. When I remembered that we talked about how Dr. Singer recommends giving 10% of income to the less fortunate, I just felt everything line up completely, because my Bible suggests the same percentage of tithing.

In this week of thankfulness, I am so very thankful that my values on a personal level have matched with my professional values.

Observation: I saw a news article that mentioned that Food Banks saw an increase in the number of people who came which was said to have been caused by the decrease in amount of money given in SNAP.

Blog 12: Mentally Strong

In one of my social work classes, one of the students presented this article about being "mentally strong".  According to Forbes, a person who is mentally strong does not:

1. Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves.

2. Give Away Their Power.

3. Shy Away from Change.

4. Waste Energy on Things They Can’t Control.

5. Worry About Pleasing Others.

6. Fear Taking Calculated Risks.

7. Dwell on the Past.

8. Make the Same Mistakes Over and Over.

9. Resent Other People’s Success.

10. Give Up After Failure.

11. Fear Alone Time.

12. Feel the World Owes Them Anything.

13. Expect Immediate Results. 

Maybe I am being overly sensitive, but I do many of these things, so I have come to the conclusion that I am not "mentally strong". And I know a lot of people who have done these things, people that I admire even.

It feels to me that these things are so far up on a list that they are only attainable by very rare and very privileged people. Granted, I realize that none of these things are ideals that anyone should strive to do, but I think the fact that we all get caught up in one of these (or for me, like 7 of these) makes us human. 

Society and the culture of success or being "mentally strong" sets people up for failure. Not ever doing any of the above things isn't what makes people "mentally strong". In my opinion, mentally strong people are the ones who do sometimes, maybe often, do the above things and find the strength to overcome them on a daily or weekly or monthly or yearly basis.

And it is so hard to go forward and fight against all these societal pressures to be superhumans. My theory is: It is okay to not be okay; however, it is not okay to stay there. That is the motto that I want to live by with my future clients. I want them to be who they are in that moment, without fear of being portrayed as "weak".

Observation:

The Workers Defense Project held a protest today in downtown Austin over a man who fired from his job for bring up safety concerns.

Blog 11: Words

On NPR today, they did a segment on how it is scientifically proven that the more you say something, the more you believe it to be true. Even if you didn't initially believe the statement, it will become true to you the more you say it. They even talked about how some psychologists use this theory in therapy to change irrational believes in clients.

It got me thinking about how important our words are. Society teaches us from a young age that words can hurt people or words can build people up. As future baby social workers, we all know that we need to be careful with the choice of words we use with our clients, our boss, the board of directors, or potential funders; but we also need to be aware of how our words affect us.

Since our words are so important, we must be intentional when we speak. Unless we are willing to change our values, we should not continually say things that go against them to keep a funder or board member happy. You will always end up believing what you say, if you say it enough. 

On the other hand, this theory is a great motivational skill to know. If each morning we repeated "I will be a great (fill in the blank with anything you desire to be)", just think of the effects that could have. If we all really believe in ourselves (or at least say we do every day) then we can really change the world.

So do it, start today. What starts here does change the world, and WE are part of that change, starting with ourselves.  Be mindful of your words. Whether you are advocating with person first language, or having a fit of self loathing. 

Observation: The Chinese government is now allowing families to have 2 children if at least one of the parents is an only child. 

Blog 10: Experience VS. Hope

I think the most important thing they teach us in the world of social work is: awareness.

Because of social work, I am so much more aware of prejudices and privilege. Whether it is my white roommate making a horribly offensive comment, how most suburban track homes include stairs to enter the buildings, or how many state prisons and jails in Texas don't have air conditioning (but their pigs do/will).

It was my Dad's birthday this weekend, so I went home to spend time with my family. I honestly don't know what we talked about before I became socially aware, because that seems to be all we talk about anymore during family discussions. I love my family, and to give them credit, my parents are very compassionate loving and generous people. However, we tend to disagree on pretty much everything (with a few exceptions).

Our main problem is that we are fighting with opposite weapons. They are fighting with life-jaded realism and I am fighting with hopeful optimism. I strongly hold on to the belief that I (we as social workers) can change the world for the better.  I believe in a world where houses and buildings are systematically accessible for everyone. I believe in the dignity and worth of all people, where they have wronged me or society or are not even born yet.

Because of that, I will continue to be an advocate. I will speak my hopeful truths to the people I care about most.

Observation: The United Nations convention on climate opened last week, stating that we all must address climate change to prevent more large natural disasters like typhoon Haiyan, which has devastated the islands of the Philippines.