In Need of Aid 01: The Essential “Why”

NOTE: Over the next few weeks, I plan to use this blogging site as a “whiteboard” to record some of my current thoughts and ponderings around “aid development and poverty alleviation.” I know. Exciting!!! In some cases, the focus will be on the specific challenges around aid, economic and social development, and humanitarian efforts directed at poverty alleviation. In other cases, like today, the blog will focus less on specific aid-related themes and revolve more around my own personal challenges and considerations. Regardless, these blogs are not meant to be conclusive “takes” (to employ the modern media penchant for quick, simple sound bites). They are intended to help me organize my thoughts and continue this current process of learning in this specific area of concern and passion. They will be an ongoing work in process designed to assist me in my own learning and growth 🙂 So, here we go…

For as long as I can remember, math has been my mortal enemy…

It started when I was very young and has continued to hound and harass me throughout my entire life. Even to this day, if faced with the simplest of math problems, I freeze up and instinctively find myself looking for the nearest calculator. For whatever reason, despite my passion for learning, that side of my brain that handles math has never been a willing participant. Accordingly, I spent most of my school years doing my best to avoid the subject.

Having said all that, it was math that presented itself to me this past week as the best analogy for my current personal ponderings regarding the source of my motivations. Let me explain. For years I told myself and preached to other people that if you can uncover the “why” behind your desire, you can readily figure out the “how.” That essential starting point has been the lingering issue for me during my recent emphasis on aid development, poverty alleviation, etc. Before I can ever begin to think of addressing the question of “how” to solve the problem, I must first answer the question of “why” I even want to do this in the first place. If “how” is the “x” in the equation, then in this case I need to first solve for “y” (quite literally).

So, here are my “whys” at this point:

• Despite closing in on 60, I still have a passionate desire to serve the global community. To be honest, the catalyst for that passion is equal parts personal longing and what I would characterize as “Divine leading.” So, in that sense, I both want to do it and I feel “called” to do it (for those who understand that word).
• That desire to serve the global community has most frequently involved serving the poor throughout my life. Whether it was Argentina, Minneapolis, Miami, or my more recent volunteer opportunities via ONE and the United Nations Volunteer portal, I find myself continually drawn back to helping the needy and less fortunate.
• While I am grateful for my current job (manufacturing/supply chain), I still long for purpose. In some ways, this current renewed emphasis on this particular topic has helped bridge that gap in my life. My nights are now more directed, and the result is a renewed sense of purpose. So, to be entirely honest, this feels like a deeply personal need in my own life. I need something beyond work to give me meaning. This is it… for now.

I know that in some ways that minor list really isn’t conclusive or extremely compelling. And yes, I still have far more questions than answers in terms of personal applications. But those are my “whys” for now. And so I will continue to pursue this current path, trusting God for continued guidance and putting forth the necessary work and time this present trial demands.

Now, back to more reading and study from “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty”…