A Look Back

It is hard to believe that our three weeks here is almost done and gone. Amazingly it has felt both as if the time has flown by and as if it has dragged on. I am going to reflect on my goals for this trip and primarily a look back at my first blog post, however I will do so through the political lense that tends to guide my thoughts. While I slightly fear that my thoughts written here will be misunderstood and placed in an undesired context, I will attempt to reflect upon my two weeks here and the experience I have had personally both in serving and in learning.


First, to understand my assesment it is important to understand why I am here in the first place. Furman often educates its students in terms of a world view, as an good liberal arts university should. I have learned much under this world view but disagree with it to some extent as it is often unintentionally misleading and creates students with a more biased world view than they began with. Students of this school of though are great students of the world and often find themselves fighting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua or dedicating their lives to ending genocide in Darfur. These are noble causes and I am quite proud to go to a university that prepares students to fight these tremendous battles armed not only with passion but also with an education. However, this world view very often deters our young students from learning about and fighting against the on going battles in their own backyards. I am constantly perplexed by this notion. Yes, the United States at one point was the most powerful country in the world and is fortunate enough to have resources that many other countries could never even dream of having. This is very true, however, hate crimes are still legal in the United States when committed against homosexuals and those with disabilities, our poverty and unemployment rates are climbing, our teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates are among the highest in the world, and our government is far more capable of responding with aid and relief to a Tsunami half way across the world than they are at responding to a hurricane on their own Southern coast. We often turn our backs on these problems choosing instead to be the saviors of the third world as oppossed to the heroes of our own hometowns. How can we be successfull in helping the rest of the world when we cannot help our own people?

That is why I am here. I acknowledge the issues of the whole world with willing hands and an open mind, however, I acknowledge the battles of my own people with a full heart and a passion to fight.

Our government failed thousands of their own people in August of 2005 both due to long term past failures and extreme longevity in response time. A government, theoretically, is the protector of its people. Their inappropriate response both literally and figuratively ripped the foundations out from under thousands of people. The were forced to look only to themselves and their peers for support and protection. When you look at the photos from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it is not the national guard or government forces that you see rescuing people from the rising water. As I look at the rebuilding efforts, it is not governmental agencies or even corporate NGO's doing the rebuilding. It is instead the people of this city and caring private citizens. They are responsible for the progress in this city. They have become heroes out of necessity not out of courage or valor, though they all greatly express these qualities.

I am greatly saddened that these people were ignored by their own sworn protectors, however I am inspired and greatly touched by their ability to fight beyond the trecherous bounds of government entitites, insurance fraud, and masses of red tape. I cannot say that I have achieved my goals here though it is true that we often never really know the impact that we have made. That is not important. Instead, my goals have been readjusted. However selfish it may be, I was unable to give this city as much as it gave me. This city has reenergized me.