Urgent Evoke

A crash course in changing the world.

Last year about this time an email was sent to all associates of the university at which I work, stating:

"Because of ongoing concerns about the possibility of spreading the flu virus, students receiving degrees and their families should not shake hands at Commencement if they have symptoms of an upper respiratory infection such as fever and cough."

Reading this, I had to laugh. The irony was killing me. The university, along with every other university across the nation, was taking the appropriate steps to reduce the risk of spreading H1N1. Such communication should have been applauded, right? Perhaps someone should have even shaken their hand for doing a job well done ;-) So what was the problem? What was the irony all about? Well, universities talked about using hand sanitizer, along with warnings to not shake hands with others, but all the while their coursework and structure were still set up to wear their students down into the ground, making them susceptible in the first place to the very thing they were trying to temper. By opting to ONLY offer a surface solution, especially in lieu of taking more critical steps such as lowering student stress by reducing work loads, universities were essentially washing their hands of the situation.

Increased susceptibility to disease as a result of overworking was not only something I experienced first hand, but something I see countless others undergoing everyday in my job with students. An education is being provided, but at what cost?

That, in essence, is the question posed to nearly every producible thing on this planet: yes, we have it, but at what cost? Which is why I believe "How the Sources See the Story" is so important to crisis communication. How sources present a situation influences the choices we make on the basis of how we come to understand the risk and root cause involved in a situation. This in turn renders us to ask, "At what cost is it worth keeping things as they are?"

To illustrate this, think about the H1N1 pandemic in relation to schools and universities. If the risk involved is presented as minimal at best, then little change will occur in the short and long term regardless of whether the cause of the problem is rooted in the habits of those involved. Students will not consider how their study and living habits affect their health, and schools will not invest in preventative measures. The same goes if the root cause of the situation is presented as something outside of everyone's power. Regardless if a high risk is involved, substantial change will not occur, especially in the long term. Temporary solutions, such as hand sanitizers and warnings of personal contact, will be offered, but in the long run, the risk of disease will remain just as high. Students and universities will not see their habits as related; the situation is just the way it is.

Only when the communication of a crises carries the weight of risk and responsibility does there seem to be an acknowledgment that (a) the cost is too great for things to remain the same and (b) we can (and want to) do something about this.


This is perhaps best demonstrated by the ongoing oil spill crisis in the Gulf of Mexico. Such a crisis has the potential to bring about great change, and the angle at which the crises is presented will mainly determine where we go from here. Which is unfortunately why I believe nothing may change. Though the crises brings to the surface much of what is so troubling about our dependence on oil, the story in many of our minds is caked in avoidance. Why?

Because (a) the risk involved is not great enough. The environment has been devastated, but the cost has had no direct, apparent impact on our health. It is very telling that we are more worried about the risk to the economy. Things will remain the same. We need the oil (and furthermore, we like cheap oil), so the cost at which we have it is deemed worth it.

And (b) we don't think we need to change. Even if we want to change, we don't necessarily believe the responsibility is ours to do so. It is solely the responsibility of BP. And when they say all the right things, we feel even more relieved that the responsibility is not ours. That is how the story goes. We do not see that we too are a cause of this. Everything we do supports what BP and other oil companies do. They are as much of a product of ours as oil is a product of theirs. Our computers, our internet, this game, our clothes, our food...all made possible by this cycle of dependence.

I was told earlier that my question of how to break the cycle was the biggest question in all of the issues on Evoke. So what does it take to break the cycle? Well, first of all, acknowledge that we are a part of the cycle and break the story of avoidance. Realize that we cannot simply wash our hands of crises that arise from it. If we want our governments, businesses, and organizations to be socially responsible and take a stand, we too must take a stand in our own lives.

So what does that stand look like? Well, it looks like this, this game. As well as a plethora of other creative initiatives and projects across the world. As the author Derek Jensen has noted, there can never be too many fulcrums where we leverage our own power to bring about the change we want. But where does one apply one's own power? Well, perhaps that is best determined by what the civil rights leader Howard Thurman once shared:

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”

And there should never be any cost that keeps us from doing that. So, what makes you all come alive?

Views: 64

Comment by Muhammad Husain Essa on May 5, 2010 at 8:41pm
a very thought-provoking post. thanks
Comment by Laura Dawson on May 6, 2010 at 8:05am
Paul,

I am impressed by your bold look at the face of each of the challenges used to support your point, which appears to be, "What can you do?" or can I do, or anyone else for that matter. We can wake each morning with an expectancy to be able to create solutions to each situation that comes to us. And each time we are rewarded with posititive feedback, albeit in the form or direct reactions like feeling satiated because we have eaten a health enhancing meal to start the day, or more indirectly, our employer gives us a raise because they see our work and value its worth.

Then there is the third kind of positive feedback and that is internal. That is 'what makes us come alive'.

As a licensed acupuncturist establishing a rural health care practice here in the USA, if that mechanism were not present and well maintained within me, I would not have lastest as long as I have where patients have expected service, but had not valued the results enough to have felt the response of making payment to support their future care. Or perhaps I would have given up when the politics of health care led an unknown stranger to open my postal doc**ents, or hack my bank account, or steal my identification both physically and online doing business. Business to promote empowerment of individuals to take proactive steps in their own wellbeing, providing cla**** in my community at little or no cost to the attendees, publishing nutritional recommendations in the local newspaper, is draining of my own energies. Yet I still got up each day and wondered how I was going to meet all the legal requirements to protect my patient's privacy under the HIPPA guidelines, make time to treat them, study methods and manners to be used for their care.

I am still waking up each day wondering 'how can I use my costly education in health care, including acupuncture and nutrition, to improve the quality of life?'. After inactivating my license to practice due to lack of sufficient income to cover the costs of continuing education programs, and all the other costs of services, I was left bereft.

Forced to leave self-sufficient housing due to lack of means to pay rent, I entered a homeless shelter. I spent the past nearly 10 months waking up there each day in a small metal bunk bed, in a room with up to 18 other women, wondering how I was going to use my unique skills and abilities to improve the health and wellbeing of anyone that day, including myself.

In April, a manifestation of all the wondering and small acts of action, I move out of the shelter and into a home of my own complete with a kitchen where health enhancing meals that are specific to my desires and requirements, are prepared regularly, by me. I became an active member at my church's prayer ministry. I am repackaging my service to others, while still keeping a personal commitment to stay focused in the Health Care field. There are a number of new employment opportunities in IT related to Health records and management, where I can apply some of my skills.

So, what of my unique acupuncture and extensive and expensive nutritional knowledge base? What about all the people who I might have been able to help when no one else possibly could, had I been able to pay for the costs of my license to practice acupuncture? Well, when I wake up tomorrow and start to wonder...I will let you know.

Thank you Paul for your thought provoking opportunity to express my wonderings and wanderings.
Be In Good Health.
Comment by Paul Holze on May 6, 2010 at 9:08pm
Enjoyed everyone's replies and especially your openness, Laura, in sharing what brings you alive despite the lack of financial security.
Comment by Miaomiao Huang on May 7, 2010 at 1:16am
Wow, sharp point....
Comment by Victor Udoewa on May 14, 2010 at 4:42pm
I would power vote, but we can't anymore. Always, your posts are on point. Are you submitting an Evoke? Any ideas? Do you need any team members to round out your team? I would be interested in working with you. I'm still pondering over what I will submit.
Comment by Paul Holze on May 14, 2010 at 6:32pm
Thank you, Victor. I am submitting an Evokation and have several ideas in mind. I need to take the next couple days to clear my mind, though, and focus in on what is most important. The past 10 weeks (not to mention the past 4 years) have been all about exploration for me...this is the first time I will have taken the time to narrow down a focus. I will stay in touch
Comment by Victor Udoewa on May 14, 2010 at 8:55pm
I'm doing the same right now. I need to sit down an think as there are several directions I could run. The biggest decision for me is a targeted intervention approach or a holistic approach that tackles several problems simultaneously. I'm going to try to sift through ideas as we're only allowed to submit one evokation. I wish I did a better job of collaboration throughout the process.
Comment by Christian Binder on June 25, 2012 at 6:37am

well done

Comment

You need to be a member of Urgent Evoke to add comments!

Join Urgent Evoke

Latest Activity

Ning Admin is now a member of Urgent Evoke
May 17, 2023
N updated their profile
Sep 25, 2020
Sophie C. commented on Asger Jon Vistisen's blog post Stinging Nettle
"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
Aug 19, 2020
Meghan Mulvey posted a blog post

Fourth of July on the Lake

This past weekend was the annual celebration at the lake house in Connecticut. It is amazing that the lake is still so clear and beautiful after all these years. The watershed association has done a wonderful job protecting these waters from the damaging effects of development.The wood grill was finally ready to cook on, so we didn't miss the propane tank fueled grill anymore. The food actually tasted fresher than in the past and was easy to keep fueled.Dad was very proud of the solar hybrid…See More
Jul 6, 2020
Asger Jon Vistisen posted a blog post

Stinging Nettle

In this blog post I will focus on a plant that is abundant in our nature, and which is immensely nutritious. It's of course the Stinging Nettle. Let's start with the chemical constituents of this plant:37 % Non-Nitrogen-Extracts19 - 29 % Ash9 - 21 % Fiber4 % Fat22 % ProteinOnce the leaves are drid, their protein content can reach an astounding 40 %, which is much higher than beef, which even under the best of circ**stances can never exceed 31 % protein. In addition the Stinging Nettle consists…See More
Apr 13, 2020
Jonathon McCallum posted a blog post

The meal

It is 7'oclock, I was late home from work due to an assignment that i wanted to get ahead on. By the time I get home I am feeling extremley tired and I cannot be bothered to make a proper meal. I walk to the fridge and open it to see what there is for me to eat. All of the out of date foodstuffs have been automaticaly thrown away by the fridge, they will be recycled tomorrow as animal feed or something. I see i have organic local eggs and some local cheese. Foods are vacc** sealded for easy…See More
Mar 10, 2020
Jean Paul Galea shared a profile on Facebook
Mar 1, 2020
Kevin posted a blog post

Future

FutureToday is 2020/1/1. It is just like yesterday. The war is still continuing. It has started since 2010. In 2010, that year was a horrible year. Almost every energy ran out. Every country’s governments were crushed down at the same time. There were riots everywhere. All of the big company’s bosses were killed xdeadx in the riots. Troops fought each other everywhere. Food was bought up xawayx at once. There were no more food supplies in any shops. The economy was all crushed down. All the…See More
Jan 1, 2020
Namwaka Mooto posted blog posts
Jan 13, 2016
T D updated their profile
Sep 3, 2015
Brook Warner posted blog posts
Aug 25, 2015
Santiago Vega posted blog posts
May 5, 2015
Santiago Vega commented on Santiago Vega's blog post Act 8
May 5, 2015
Santiago Vega posted photos
May 5, 2015
Rico Angel Rodriguez posted blog posts
May 2, 2015
Rico Angel Rodriguez posted a photo

public servants

The exchange works directly for state and public workers and servants. It gives them credit in exchange for the amount of public work they contribute to the community. The more constructive they are based off a base rate the more credit they recieve.
May 2, 2015

Follow EVOKE on Twitter




Official EVOKE Facebook Page




EVOKE RSS Activity Feed










© 2024   Created by Alchemy.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service