Fixing things...

I do a lot of my thinking in the shower, I suppose it's pretty common.  Something occurred to me this morning that I thought was pretty "blog-worthy" (and wasn't quite the right topic for my "work blog").

Most of the real problems our nation (or, for that matter, our world) faces are social and societal, not political.  So why do we look to politicians to solve them?  Politicians are good at politics, and at solving political problems.  I think our experience has borne out that they're not very good at solving societal problems, I think because they tend to apply political solutions.

If we want to solve society's problems, we need to look to society to solve them.  Of course, "society" is the problem, or at least part of it.  You see, when we refer to society, we tend to think of some unidentifiable, amorphous "them", somewhere "out there".  That's where we go wrong.  That's the "tragedy of the commons" at work.



The solution, my friends, is to remember at all times that "Society" is us.  Each of us.  We either contribute to the "tragedy" or we fight it, with every decision.  That's where the "societal" problems lie, and that's where the solution lies.  With each of us.  We all have our favorite causes, and many of them lead us to make certain choices.  We need to think about those choices and act on them.

Are you concerned about the local economy?  Don't just boycott bigbox stores.  In fact, don't boycott anything.  Boycotting means not doing something.  Rather than not doing something, do something.  Actively shop the local merchant.  Make every Friday a "Black Friday" for your local merchants, artists and artisans.

Are you concerned for education among the poor?  Don't advocate for someone else to do something, go teach!  Ask any teacher whether classroom volunteers in elementary schools make a difference, and they will tell you that they make a huge difference, particularly for kids from the rougher neighborhoods, because those kids don't have the support at home that better-off kids have.

Care about the homeless?  Work at a local shelter, or better yet, help start one.  Better than that, see what you're good at, and see how it can help.

Love art and theater?  Go help make it happen.  Art, dance, theatre and music groups everywhere are struggling with reduced funding, and if you don't have money, they'll gladly accept your time.

Look at what happened in Far Rockaway in the aftermath of the superstorm.  Government didn't respond well, the politicians couldn't get their fecal matter aggregated, so the folks who gathered at the local churches (whether you're a  believer or an atheist, a church forms a great focal point for action) looked around at who and what they had, and the ones who were good at organizing, started organizing.  The ones who were good at cooking, cooked.  The ones who were good at cleaning, cleaned.  The ones who could do heavy lifting, moved heavy stuff.  Everyone pitched in with the talent and materials they had.

It was "the tragedy of the commons" in reverse.  Rather than nobody taking responsibility for an insurmountable task, or looking to the "professionals" to do it, and doing selfishly what was in their best interest, everyone took responsibility for whatever piece was in front of them, taking responsibility for what they could do for the whole, because they could see that was where their real best interests lay.  Not that there isn't room for professionals, I shudder to think of the result of thousands of amateur line crews trying to restore power, but there's a lot that any Joe or Jane can do.

Why does it take a superstorm to make us see that?

If it seems like I'm lecturing, I'm sorry.  You see, I'm lecturing myself here.  I'm a long way from where I feel I need to be on this.

In Judaism, there is a lot of charitable work done by the community.  It comes in large part from a philosophical underpinning called "tikkun olam" or "repairing the world", in which we are each responsible for doing what we can to make the world what it should be.  As one sage put it (in paraphrase) "You are not responsible for its completion, but neither may you refrain from the effort."

If the politicians do it, it's socialism, because that's the political solution.

If we each do what we see needs to be done, it's activism, or charity, or "tikkun olam".  Maybe it's democracy at work.

Whatever you want to call it, to borrow from the Nike ads: "Just Do It."