Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Prompt for Mountains beyond Mountains. . .
What aspect of Paul Farmer's and Partner's in Health story resonate with you? What does this story tell you about how individuals might come together to address seemingly insurmountable issues? How did Farmer's personal philosophy/how he wanted to live his own life-- influence the people he chooses to collaborate with and the approaches that PIH take to these huge, complex issues? Of course, we don't all have Farmer's boundless energy and drive--we each have our own way of moving forward and making choices about the issues that are important to us. What are you taking away from this colloquium that informs you in some way regarding your own philosophy, choices, working with others, shared human and environmental issues? What connections can you draw between the ways in which PIH addresses a complex issue and some of the ground that we have covered together over the last few months? What have you learned about complexity, shared issues, meaning and what motivates you? What do you think motivates Farmer and his colleagues etc?
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After reading, I noticed that the Farmer was similar to some of the books we were reading in class. He believed in human rights and was on “Haiti’s side of the poor”. “Farmer made it plain he didn’t like the American government’s plan for fixing Haiti’s economy, a plan that would aid business interests but do nothing, in his view, to relieve the suffering of the average Haitian” (Kidder p.5). This quote reminded me of the Food industry because the government seems to be more focused on how much money they would make through fast food industries and how many people, who can afford healthier food, are suffering for it. They are forced to eat something that hardly meets their nutritional needs and the government doesn’t seem to be doing much about it. What I am taking from this colloquium is that we can help people get nutritional food if we just we take a minute of our time to volunteer. Moreover, working with a bigger group makes the experience much more greater because you have people supporting you and are willing to help too. People find it hard to support something if they are in it alone. Also, the colloquium has increased my awareness about issues that I haven’t even heard about and ever semester my awareness continues to grow. In a way, the Farmer reminded me of myself because I want to help people as a nurse and to do as much as I can for them. As I kept reading, the Farmer became my motivation in pursing my career as a nurse because he was happy with what he was doing. Why wouldn’t anyone be happy if their purpose in life is to help people? I think that hope is one of his motivations and possibly one of mines too. As long as you have hope and make some effort to do something, you can really make a big impact on anyone’s life. Little things cant really fix the whole issue, but it’s a bigger, closer step to making a change than just sitting around and doing nothing.
ReplyDeleteDr. Farmer spends only four months of the year with his family and spends the rest of the year helping patients in areas such as Haiti (23). Dr. Paul Farmer is ultimately an inspiration. Through his work he shows motivation, passion, and selflessness. The fact that Farmer could have everything he wanted if he stayed in the United States from fancy cars, clothes, and a nice house but he chooses to help those in Haiti where he has no luxuries for the benefit of those in need not for his own benefit. He puts health and helping others as his top priority and even puts that effort before meeting his own needs first. He is making such a huge impact in others lives by simply doing what he loves to do. I think that the support of Farmer’s family, friends, colleagues and his genuine care for others are what motivate him. His want to help others and all the gratitude from his patients and staff are also what help motivate him, his staff, and everyone who makes his practice such a success.
ReplyDeleteEven though I am not making as huge of a difference as Farmer is, at least I am making a difference in others lives because of this colloquium. I learned that a small difference is a difference. This class has taught me to look at things in the world in new perspective. I have learned many things about what I eat, where my food comes from, and things about myself I never knew ever cared to think about before. One thing that motivates me are the kids at county community. Even though I was only there for a short amount of time I felt like they really did appreciate that my former colleagues and I did take the time to come and talk to them. It made it all worth it at the last class we taught. The last thing we did was ask all the students to name one thing they learned from us that they didn’t know before. They all had something to say. Just through that, I knew we made some kind of an impact in the students lives and it made teaching them all worth it.
We Are All Paul Farmer's
ReplyDeleteOne quote of Farmer’s life that really resonated with me was when he said "Cambridge cared about AIDS, but not nearly enough (30)." I found this to be such a true statement not just in a relationship with
Cambridge; but with all aspects of life and people. There is so much preventable pain, suffering, and sorrow in this world. Unfortunately, the way a vast majority of people deal with that is to do nothing and feel bad or by just donating a few bucks here and there. Kidder described it perfectly on page 8 when he said: "one way of living comfortably is not to just think about them or, when you do, to send money." So many people just talk about the sufferings of others and just "feel bad" or "wish" they could help. Yet, people need to actually just do something. Yes, sending money is a huge help and does make a difference, but why can't people just go out in the world and do something themselves?! This colloquium is a perfect example of how these things are possible. Not everyone needs to go out and move to a different country to help, but helping out in the little ways also make a difference. For example, our service learning projects we did in this class may have not directly saved a person’s life like how Paul Farmer does when he gives someone TB medicine, but it does make a difference in people’s lives and later will make an even greater difference in the world. Paul Farmer was a single man, working with other individuals and they used each of their collective forces to make a huge difference. Similarly, in our colloquium class we were taught that the act of one individual may make a big difference, but the act of all of us, or our whole class makes a huge difference. For example, our thanksgiving dinner/lunch was a collective effort of many individuals. Although I may have had the idea, it would not have been possible without the Salvation Army providing the food, all of the teachers cooking it, and our whole class working together to organize and distribute the food. Also, I believe that it is this collective effort embracing love which gets all of this work done. It is from love that the strive to want to help and fix things comes. People need to love each other for them to work collectively and actually get things done. Usually, if someone has a lot of power, then a lot can get done, but it is with loving power even greater things get done.
The work that Paul Farmer has done is inspirational and very admirable. It is not everyday where a person can go through all the hardships of becoming a doctor and selflessly give his service to the much needed with no charge. His drive and passion to help those that are helpless is an act of the highest honor. The things he sacrifices for his passion are great. Spending only four months with his family per year is a sacrifice I could not make. Not only does he deliver his services free of charge, he does it with a smile. He builds relationships with all his patients and makes sure each and every one of them are happy and healthy. What is really amazing is his method of doing this. Rather then just going in and curing everyone, he is also training others with the same passion in the field of medicine. This is to ensure that if he is ever to leave, there are others with his willpower and expertise to take his place. Joe describes who Paul Farmer is much better then anything I can come up with. “That guy is a fuckin’ saint” (Kidder, 16).
ReplyDeleteWhat motivates me to do what I do is still somewhat of a mystery. I’m following my life decision to become a pharmacist but so far my motivation is just a good career. That kind of motivation gives me very little drive and I am still searching for that something that will give me more “umph” in what I do. If I had the motivation and drive equivalent to Paul Farmer’s left hand, I think I would be set for life. I respect Farmer and his colleagues for what they do and the reasons they do it for. I had watched a small documentary about Farmer not long ago and in it, it has stated that Farmer has had a rough life as well. It was at a level where his family, which consisted of many brothers and sisters, had lived in a bus for a while. I feel like maybe a part of his passion has come from understanding of what the people of Haiti are going through. Whatever gives him the drive to do what he does; he will always be an icon of selflessness.
“People call me a saint and I think, I have to work harder. Because a saint would be a great thing to be.”(16)
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this quote, it really showed me what motivates Paul Farmer in life. He is a selfless man who feels like he has been put on this world to help people. He has dedicated his life selflessly to others and that really got me thinking what has been motivating me in life. Why do I want to become a teacher? I know people who choose there career choice based on monetary values or being able to go into a career with high demand so they can be picked up for a job right after graduation. I think what motivates me is not those things, but I'm doing it because it seems like something I would enjoy doing, and I don't want to be stuck doing something I don't enjoy. It may not be as noble as what Paul Farmer is doing, but if I can do what I will enjoy and as a teacher, be able to educate our youth and help them along their path in life, I feel like I, like Paul Farmer, can make a difference, even if it is on a smaller scale.
Farmer in Solidarity
ReplyDeletePaul Farmer’s drive comes from a seemingly genuine place. It seems to come from a place that believes in the need for going beyond charity – it is solidarity. It is the understanding of our human interconnectedness and the chain reactions we cause each other as people. Paul Farmer understands that yes, there is a connection between Haiti’s poverty and American wealth. A simple example of this connection: Lynne asked us to calculate our ecological footprints through a Personal Footprint Calculator. I live a relatively environmentally responsible American lifestyle, yet according to the calculator, if all people in the world lived my lifestyle, we would need five planets. Therefore I am living a lifestyle that has a footprint five times more than I should be living to sustain the planet. This means that I am using resources that should sustain four more people; and I am living this lifestyle while there are people in Haiti for example, who have nothing, who are dying in poverty. Yes, there is a correlation here, which is an even longer discussion. This kind of correlation is something that Paul Farmer understands and it is something that he is driven by.
I admire Paul Farmer for not wanting to come off as some sort of martyr, hero or a generous savior. He wants to be in the same level as the people who are poor – he wants to be in solidarity. He does not view his lifestyle choice in Haiti as a sacrifice, despite the fact that he could have been a rich practicing professor in the US. Here is his reasoning:
“If you’re making sacrifices, unless you’re automatically following some rule, it stands to reason that you’re trying to lessen some psychic discomfort. So, for example, if I took steps to be a doctor for those who don’t have medical care, it could be regarded as a sacrifice, but it could also be regarded as a way to deal with ambivalence… I felt ambivalent about selling my services in a world where some can’t buy them. You can feel ambivalent about that because you should feel ambivalent. Comma” (24).
He is in discomfort with the fact that people is in solidarity with are facing an injustice, and he understands that everyone has everything to do with it.
There are no accidents to Farmer, which I agree with. In my opinion, things do not just happen for a reason, but there is also a reason why things happen. Haiti is not how it is today just because. There are many causes, direct and indirect: “There was nothing accidental about the wretchedness of the road down Morne Kabrit or the overload tap-tap, or the desperation of a peasant woman who had to get to market and make a sale because otherwise her family would go hungry” (73). This is an important lesson; one that can motivate a person to do beyond “charity work”. I believe in solidarity work. And though my work right now is very meager in affecting any thing, I personally hope that I can create long-term change.