I hope it is OK that I posted this on this blog and my personal website.
It is impossible to study what we do for a living and not encounter the ravages of poverty on a daily basis. I often have students ask what they can do to help. Of course, there are a number of widespread policy changes that would help this problem, and I often discuss these at length. At the same time, I also offer the parable of the starfish. There are many variations of the story, but the message is the same.
So, I think it is important to share with people what they can do to help. Today, we put a bag of food out for a local realtor who is collecting cans for their annual drive. We also donate money during Thanksgiving to the local food pantry.Once upon a time there was a man who would walk along the beach every morning. One day as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a figure moving back and forth, rhythmically dancing to the day.
This gave him great pleasure, so he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young woman and the young woman wasn't dancing, but instead she was reaching down to the shore, picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.
When he got closer he called out, 'Good morning! What are you doing?'
The young woman looked up and replied with simple joy, 'Throwing starfish in the ocean.'
The man looked puzzled and said: 'I guess I should have asked, why are you throwing
starfish in the ocean?'
'The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don't throw them in they'll die.'
'But, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can't possibly make a difference!' said the man.
The young woman listened politely. She then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea past the breaking waves and said with a smile... '... but I made a difference to that one'.
Students in CJ classes can donate old clothing to Dress for Success, and we have had a drive for students and faculty to donate old books and toys for prison visiting rooms (the list of needs goes on and on). Of course, this couldn't be a requirement, but I find that students often don't know where to start.
This story has also been adapted by goldfish crackers.
1 comments:
Those are great suggestions, Velma. I have donated many clothes, shoes, and purses to Dress for Success (or Jackets for Jobs here in MI) over the last few years. Given my research on IPV, our family also gives regularly to local battered women's shelters.
I hadn't heard the starfish story before, so I'm glad you shared it. I think that the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving (or just following Thanksgiving for our Canadian friends) is an especially opportune time to be discussing ways of reducing poverty.
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