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The author wants to make the world a better place, but can't be bothered to expend any of that energy on his neighbors. In other words, it sounds like he is in it for the golf clap by advertising all his high-profile, sexy contributions to the commonweal as he travels the globe ("Singapore! New Zealand! I'm quite the jet-setting do-gooder!"). Yet he cannot be bothered by the mundane day-to-day relationships that could yield immediate and lasting improvements to those around him.
Perhaps I'm misreading this essay, but it seems while he was focused on what cause du jour appealed to him at the moment, there was likely an elderly neighbor who might have needed a few moments of kindness. Or a homeless shelter down the street that could have used a helping hand. And the list goes on. I can almost hear the guy say, "Don't bother me! I'm making the world a better place!"
In fact, a deeper dive into this guy's blog rewards one with a fuller understanding of this man's runaway narcissism. For example, let's take the article about his son. The author spends far more time talking about himself than he does his son. In his own words, "I realized that I’m doing all of these things for myself, as much as for him." It borders on unintentional self-satire. The term 'blowhard' comes to mind. The crowning irony is that he wrote a book about the dangers of egotism without really learning those lessons himself.
Dickens had a unique genius for creating characters that lampooned this particular lack of self-awareness and moral blindness. In Bleak House, there was Mrs. Jellyby, a busybody so consumed with writing letters and organizing charitable efforts for people in distant African villages that she neglects and emotionally starves her own family, especially her daughter who cries out for love. The author of this blog reminds me of her.
In short, it is the triumph of the abstract over the real. The author wants to have a relationship with the world, but not with its constituent parts. I mean, hey, it's not that you have to spend all your energy dealing with local issues. Far from it. But if you care about the world, you should at least give your street a passing nod.
Last edited by MinivanDriver; 01-02-2018 at 07:30 AM..
I'm going to go ahead and call on my favorite overused slogan from the 90s:
Think globally, act locally.
Look around, there are plenty of people that need your help and attention, right in your own neighborhood, town, city or state. Homelessness is rampant these days in the U.S. Many people, working families and singles are food insecure due to not being paid a living wage. The lack of healthcare is reducing our life expectancies, especially if you are poor or a person of color here in the U.S.
I get really sick of people running around doing volunteering trips to save the kids in Africa or improve drinking water in India when our own kids are neglected (because we decided good education is only a privilege for the well-off) and our own water (ahem flint, Michigan) is a disaster.
So he goes to the extreme locally and then deems going local isn't good because he went overboard and couldn't say no. I guess he hasn't heard of moderation or balance.
Lol. Funny how the “global” involvement seems to consist of globe trotting to places deemed exotic, trendy or world-class (Wellington, Iceland, London)...the types of places one would showcase on social media as evidence of how interesting and worldly a person they are. I’m sure he is not going to armpits of the world helping to clean up sewage trenches.
Oh and by the way this perspective is a convenient way to not have to build personal and familial relationships which can become tedious and not always fun.
Location: Huntersville/Charlotte, NC and Washington, DC
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Honestly I'm not committed to either really. I'm a military brat so I never get too attached to a location. If I help someone where I'm at I inadvertently, cool, but Arlington, VA is just where I sleep at currently and nothing more and it won't be where I sleep at much longer.
I'm going to go ahead and call on my favorite overused slogan from the 90s:
Think globally, act locally.
Look around, there are plenty of people that need your help and attention, right in your own neighborhood, town, city or state. Homelessness is rampant these days in the U.S. Many people, working families and singles are food insecure due to not being paid a living wage. The lack of healthcare is reducing our life expectancies, especially if you are poor or a person of color here in the U.S.
I get really sick of people running around doing volunteering trips to save the kids in Africa or improve drinking water in India when our own kids are neglected (because we decided good education is only a privilege for the well-off) and our own water (ahem flint, Michigan) is a disaster.
I've done a couple stints volunteering in Africa (South Africa, Morocco), teaching technology to kids in about the equivalent of US Middle School. They were poor, but had access to decent enough schools and some resources. More are nice. Most were bright and interested. They have more interest to cellular, by and large, than anything else.
Also with a team went to India to improve business processes for local industries as part of stretch project in grad school about eight years ago.
I'm no mother Theresa, but those were low-hanging fruit because about ten calls to UNICEF, twice as many emails to friends already involved-in.
My "community" doesn't need tons of help, we're the currently-excoriated 1% (pretty much). I suppose there is need in greater Seattle, other groups do work for women's shelters and food banks and such in the area.
I think it's a degree of problem we're trying to solve, First World vs. Third World.
Lol. Funny how the “global” involvement seems to consist of globe trotting to places deemed exotic, trendy or world-class (Wellington, Iceland, London)...the types of places one would showcase on social media as evidence of how interesting and worldly a person they are. I’m sure he is not going to armpits of the world helping to clean up sewage trenches.
Oh and by the way this perspective is a convenient way to not have to build personal and familial relationships which can become tedious and not always fun.
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