Involved

Lincoln Steffens wisely said, "The misgovernment of the American people is misgovernment by the American people." I have spent many a day listening to people bemoan the current state of affairs, whether that be our financial situation, a poor education system, disrespectful youth, or corrupt leaders. I certainly have added my two cents to the growing mound of complaints. But, to what extent are we responsible for both the decline and the necessary improvements? So often, it's simple to shirk our responsibilities, not just because it takes too much effort, but because we manifest an individualistic mentality. It is easy to believe that one person's actions cannot change society - and I am not going to argue with such a statement. But to allow cynicism to paralyze us into inaction will only exacerbate the problems. That is precisely why we must be proactive in organizing ourselves and others to address the problems that affront us. Robert Putnam said, "Americans of [the Progressive] era did not simply bemoan 'the way kids are today,' or long nostalgically for the lost social control of the village. Rather, the Progressives devoted their intellectual, organizational, and financial energies to blazing constructive new paths for youth."

If we're dissatisfied with society, who is to blame really? We live in a democracy, which doesn't function properly when people forfeit their involvement in it. Again, it is easy to rationalize inaction, because it isn't clear how going to a local community meeting can impact national policies. But the grand is composed of minutia. We cannot fairly blame big politicians if we are not fulfilling our civic duties. We can become disillusioned or we can get involved in our communities.

Historian Richard McCormick wrote about the final years of the nineteenth century, but it sounds suspiciously like what we are confronting now: "Amid hard times, many Americans questioned the adequacy of their institutions and wondered whether democracy and economic equality were possible in an industrial society. Answering these questions with hope and hard work, some men and women began to experiment with new methods for solving the problems at hand. Hundreds poured their energies into settlement houses where they lived and worked among the urban poor. From their pulpits a new generation of ministers sought to make Christianity relevant to this world, not only the next, by aligning their churches actively on the side of the disadvantaged. Across the country the movement for municipal reform entered a new phase as businessmen and professionals tried to reach beyond their own ranks and enlist broad support for varied programs of urban improvement. Women's clubs increasingly turned their attention from discussing literature to addressing social problems."

So, as we face our own looming problems with the economy, malfunctioning systems, and a broken people: how will we solve the problems? What will our contribution be? Not, "who is to blame for this mess?" and "what will the politicians do to fix this?" but "what responsibility do we, as members of a democracy, bear in both the creation and resolution of these problems?" This is not to say that government and politicians do not have an important role to play; it is simply to say that we also have a critical role to play. We cannot sit idly by.

V Day gifts

For all of you men out there who are just stumped about what to get that special lady, look no further. Remember those half heart "HeartMates" pendants? Or how 'bout those BFF bracelets? So 15 years ago. If you really want to tell your girl that your heart is hers, AND that you're hip and with the times, you'll get her this:

Sure to spark a connection. A love connection.

Hopeless

So, on my way to the airport in Amman, the taxi driver and I were holding a pretty average conversation until he asked me if I was married. Told him "nope" simple as that. But questions like this die hard. The inevitable follow up question: "How old are you?" Now, if you're ever in this situation in Jordan, do NOT say 28; I don't care what kind of after life it brings you. I wasn't aware of this little piece of advice back then, however, so I responded, "28." Driver almost loses control of the road as he turns back to stare at me in disbelief and great concern. Literal first words from his mouth: "Oh, no! There's no hope!" Yeah, thanks for that. Is it not enough to get it from worried elderly ladies in your ward? Apparently not. He quite honestly expressed his deepest sorrows for about 10 minutes. I'm now acutely aware of my position in life. Let me break it down for you. If you find yourself to be 28 and not married, sorry - but apparently neither looks, wealth, talents nor stature can redeem the passage of time. These are your only marriage options:

1. You will never get married
2. You will have to marry a very old man
3. You will have to marry a very ugly man
4. You will have to marry a (gasp) divorced man

Or, some horrific combination of the above. So, for all you very old, ugly men out there: I'm available!

Camels. They're a crossin'.

Betcha don't see this every day.

Wildling herbs, melting tea

Ah, how I love translations. What exactly are wildling herbs? Dunno, but they were chosen carefully. And, who doesn't like their tea to have a melting effect?

Jordan-isms

Here I am in Jordan, working on a healthy lifestyles campaign. According to our most recent study, married women exercise the least when compared to married men, young women, and young men. Two-thirds of married women said they had not exercised at all. It's been interesting to see those research results in real life. Every day when I go to the gym, I comb the facilities for another woman. I have yet to see another woman working out at the gym. I got so concerned that today I finally asked the man at the desk, “This gym is for girls, right?” I was worried that all this time I had neglected to notice a sign saying “MEN ONLY.” Apparently, I had no need to be flustered. The gym serves both sexes, it's just that one is conspicuously missing.

Meanwhile, at the office, we're working on our anti-smoking mass media campaign. We're sitting around the table discussing the pre-testing results and which logo would best convey the following ideas: “It's against the law to smoke in public places” and “Second-hand smoke is harmful to the health of those around you.” Mid conversation, our media team grab their cigarettes, put them in their mouths, and start to light up. Hmmm... guess the campaign isn't quite having the effect we'd like it to have. Well, “slowly, slowly” as they say here.

Work

Over the break I watched the HBO series on John Adams. And loved it. But that's not entirely the point. I have considered myself grateful for what my predecessors have done, especially those founders and pioneers of this nation. But it wasn't until I watched John Adams that my naivety began to haunt me. Somehow, through all the historical books, movies, and sites, the gravity of it all escaped me. I did not know fully see what I ought to be grateful for because I did not fathom all that had been given nor what I owed at the sacrificers' hands.

What struck me was how hard working they all were - the endless amount they were willing to give for a cause they cared about. For all intents, the tasks before them were insurmountable. Yet they carried on with singularity of purpose. Men sacrificed years away from families, their health, their lives. Women were left alone to work the farms, take care of sick and dying children, fend off invaders, suffer from loneliness. They knew how and were willing to work for long, often indefinite periods of time, to enjoy their desired end result.

I often wonder if we have that same know-how, perseverance and willingness to pay the price for what we want. Speaking of Americans, I'm not sure we have the patience or a large enough dose of that quaint little virtue called hard work. It's interesting, though, because in some ways, I view Americans as an insanely workaholic people - but that's typically in the workplace. That kind of hard work often entails longer and longer hours - working for the sake of working rather than working hard and determinately to achieve a goal or desire.

Lack of true hard work, the immediacy of results, and the unchecked fulfillment of desires are at the root of many problems today. These things impede our ability to appreciate what we get. Ingratitude and undervaluing, in turn, affect the way we treat others and the things around us. Little effort with big returns causes a discordance that perhaps we are uncomfortable with at a basic level. For example, to communicate with one another, all we have to do these days is type a few words and press a button. The ease of communicating is wonderful, but can also cause us to undervalue our communication with each other. We can become casual or even recalcitrant in our relationships. Our lack of patience breeds impatience, while our lack of hard work engenders higher expectations.

I think part of the struggle is finding a way to use and appreciate the things that make life easier, while still maintaining a strong work ethic and being deliberate about valuing the things we have.