I'm interested in social justice issues, both nationally and internationally. And I hope I can make just a small contribution to improve the living conditions of people who are poor and marginalized.
Sometimes I get discouraged, overwhelmed and even paralyzed when I'm confronted with human suffering around the world.
These feelings are roughly based in two things:
First I sometimes get caught in a feeling of despair; will things ever get better?
Second I start questioning my own ability to keep being passionate about these issues in the long run and stay a ”healthy person”. Will I be able to keep accommodating the evilness and brokenness I'm constantly reminded of when engaging in issues of social justice without getting cynical, get depressed or becoming a workaholic (as the evilness you can fight does never seem to stop)?
I continuously reflect on how I can engage myself in these issues in a way which is sustainable. These are some of my thoughts (which are not only relevant to people who do social work):
1. I need to give up my need for control:
We are many who like to see quick results of our work.
I recognize the feeling of impatience and the urge for quick results. The impatience is a positive energizing factor that makes me drive projects forward.
At the same time I ask myself: Are the reasons for my urge for quick results a result of me building my identity to an unhealthy extend on my achievements? As a Christian I do believe that that my worth is not depending on what I do but whom I am. This is the message I also want to transmit to others. I can’t transmit something to others which I'm not living myself. I don’t want to transmit to others that they are only worth loving if they can achieve big things; this makes it even more important to me to learn this myself.
2. How can I continue to accommodate the sadness and brokenness of others?
I seek to accept that I'm also a ”broken person” with hurts and weaknesses. I constantly struggle to embrace my own weaknesses and to accept that I'm also part of human suffering. In that way I can see suffering not just as a thing which is distant to me, but a condition we are all part of. I hope accepting my own weaknesses will also help me accommodating others who are hurt and broken.
Recently I had a talk with some friend from my church who are all volunteers in social projects in Copenhagen. We talked about the fact that we often, in our own lives, do not ask for other people’s help or even accept help from others. It seems like we are very focused on being strong and managing our own lives independently. And in that way we may create an even bigger distance to people ”we help”. I really believe that we could become even better helpers and create more equal relationships with people ”we help” if we also let others help us. We are both people who help fight social injustice and people who need help ourselves.
