Skip to main content

Humility and Need

One of the most esteemed virtues in the United States is independence. Independence is a sign of success. It isn't surprising, then, that we would find it hard to ask for help. By doing so, we lose something of our stature, at least in our own eyes. There is something about asking for help, though-- when the need is truly there-- that is endearing to the one being asked. It represents a bowing of the soul, an admission of vulnerability that leaves one in the hands of another. More often than not, that admission leads to mercy, compounding virtue upon virtue.

Manhattan resident Jeff Ragsdale is an example of this. His story is old now by contemporary standards, but it is inspiring nonetheless. Lonely after breaking up with his girlfriend, Jeff created a flier with his phone number, duplicated it, and posted it all around Manhattan to see what would come of it. The person, who signed the flier "One Lonely Guy," eventually received nearly 70,000 calls, first from people in Manhattan, and then-- when someone posted a picture of his number online-- from places as far away as Saudi Arabia. Some had also just broken up with a partner, others wanted to encourage him, and still others were seeking advice. Jeff called himself a "confession booth" because of what others would call to tell him. They felt the isolation he did, and wanted sympathy. In the eyes of many, the risk of being open with others outweighs the benefits, but being open when there is a real need to be open often leads to change and healing.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Heroes

Although we have several examples of heroes in our day, one of the best known is of a woman named Agnes Gonxhe Bojaxhiu (“Gonja Bojaju”), who devoted her life to sustaining the “poor, sick, orphaned, and dying.” Her venue was Calcutta, India, where she served as a teacher until she began to take notice of the poverty there. Seeking to do something about it, she began an organization that consisted of just thirteen members at its inception. Called the “Missionaries of Charity,” the organization would eventually burgeon into well over 5,000 members worldwide, running approximately 600 missions, schools and shelters in 120 countries; and caring for the orphaned, blind, aged, disabled, and poor. As her personal work expanded, she traveled to countries like Lebanon, where she rescued 37 children from a hospital by pressing for peace between Israel and Palestine; to Ethiopia, where she traveled to help the hungry; to Chernobyl, Russia, to assist victims of the nuclear meltdown there; and to ...

The Nice Guy Fallacy

I read part of a poem recently by one of my favorite poets. It reads: I envy not in any moods The captive void of noble rage The linnet born within the cage That never knew the summer woods. I envy not the beast that takes His license in the field of time Unfetter'd by the sense of crime To whom a conscience never wakes. Nor what may call itself as bles't The heart that never plighted troth But stagnates in the weeds of sloth Nor any want-begotten rest. I hold it true, whate'er befall I feel it, when I sorrow most 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. At base, Tennyson contrasted a life of risk, and consequent pain, with one of security. He sides conclusively with the life of risk, and says he fails to envy those who have faced no hardship. I agree with him; and, for good or ill, his words are just as relevant today as they were in the nineteenth century. Like then, there are those today who choose to live their lives with as little risk as...

Comparative Medical Care

One thing I'd like to understand is why there is such a difference between medical costs here and those in Haiti. At the time the book Mountains Beyond Mountains was written, in 2003, it often cost $15,000 to $20,000 annually to treat a patient with tuberculosis, while it cost one one-hundredth of that-- $150 to $200-- to treat a patient for the disease in Haiti. Even if the figures aren't completely accurate, the sheer difference would still be there. Indeed, the United States pays more per capita for medical care than any other country on Earth. My first guess for why the disparity exists is that there is a market willing and able to pay more for medical treatment, so suppliers see the demand and respond with higher prices. According to at least one doctor (go to http://scienceblogs.com/denialism/2009/05/what_is_the_cause_of_excess_co.php), part of the reason is administrative prices here. People here have a higher standard of living, and so the cost of care is shifted to ...