The defining moment in my life that shifted the way I was thinking...and brought me to ubuntu.
Great question. Tough to answer.
In the sense of living and breathing and working and playing.
Helpful strategies from IDEX for my trip:
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”– Mother Teresa
Flexibility: Volunteering in India is full of miscommunication, false starts and constant adjustments. In negotiating these hurdles, flexibility is crucial. Whether this means shifting work assignments, adjusting to the needs of your fellow volunteers or abiding by certain local customs, flexibility will help you learn the invaluable lesson of operating successfully outside of your “comfort zone”.
Humility: Accepting that you cannot change the world or even your place in the world in two months can be a liberating insight. By abandoning the more fantastic versions of your dreams and aspirations, you can more easily focus on the tangible opportunities that daily present themselves to you.
Perspective: Maintaining perspective will go a long way towards keeping you happy and energized for work. Perspective can mean many things: remembering that you are in a developing country where life in many ways is more challenging and less comfortable; remembering that though the possibility for contribution exists, you are still just one volunteer on a short-term placement; remembering that, just like at home, some days will be better than others.
Communication: Whether dealing with IDEX staff, other volunteers or members of the community, always try to keep the lines of communication open. If you see something that could be done more efficiently or effectively, tell us (nicely); when cultural differences occur, ask questions; when other volunteers do things that bother you, politely inform them. As long as it occurs with a certain level of diplomacy and respect, communication makes everybody’s lives easier.
Teamwork: While it is our job to support them in every respect, volunteers are often closer to the problems they face than we are. Try to think of yourself less as an IDEX customer and more as a part of our team. Take ownership of your experience and try to engage with and improve it whenever possible.
Excellence: While sensitivity to the cultural setting at your work placement is important, it is also important to retain some sense of personal standards. Whether in matters of inter-personal interaction or institutional policy, IDEX encourages you to strive for excellence in everything you do, avoiding the subtle ethnocentrism of low standards. When they arise from a genuine compassion and solidarity, high standards of excellence benefit everyone.
Non-Attachment: For the Buddha, it was the realization that everything is transient (sabbam annicam), for Arjun in the Gita, it was Krishna’s advice to dedicate the results of his actions to God. In these and other cases, India truly is a land where the practice of non-attachment to desire and aversion has been cultivated. During the inevitable ups and downs of the experience, it will do well to take such locally resonant messages to heart.
“We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.”– Mother Teresa
Flexibility: Volunteering in India is full of miscommunication, false starts and constant adjustments. In negotiating these hurdles, flexibility is crucial. Whether this means shifting work assignments, adjusting to the needs of your fellow volunteers or abiding by certain local customs, flexibility will help you learn the invaluable lesson of operating successfully outside of your “comfort zone”.
Humility: Accepting that you cannot change the world or even your place in the world in two months can be a liberating insight. By abandoning the more fantastic versions of your dreams and aspirations, you can more easily focus on the tangible opportunities that daily present themselves to you.
Perspective: Maintaining perspective will go a long way towards keeping you happy and energized for work. Perspective can mean many things: remembering that you are in a developing country where life in many ways is more challenging and less comfortable; remembering that though the possibility for contribution exists, you are still just one volunteer on a short-term placement; remembering that, just like at home, some days will be better than others.
Communication: Whether dealing with IDEX staff, other volunteers or members of the community, always try to keep the lines of communication open. If you see something that could be done more efficiently or effectively, tell us (nicely); when cultural differences occur, ask questions; when other volunteers do things that bother you, politely inform them. As long as it occurs with a certain level of diplomacy and respect, communication makes everybody’s lives easier.
Teamwork: While it is our job to support them in every respect, volunteers are often closer to the problems they face than we are. Try to think of yourself less as an IDEX customer and more as a part of our team. Take ownership of your experience and try to engage with and improve it whenever possible.
Excellence: While sensitivity to the cultural setting at your work placement is important, it is also important to retain some sense of personal standards. Whether in matters of inter-personal interaction or institutional policy, IDEX encourages you to strive for excellence in everything you do, avoiding the subtle ethnocentrism of low standards. When they arise from a genuine compassion and solidarity, high standards of excellence benefit everyone.
Non-Attachment: For the Buddha, it was the realization that everything is transient (sabbam annicam), for Arjun in the Gita, it was Krishna’s advice to dedicate the results of his actions to God. In these and other cases, India truly is a land where the practice of non-attachment to desire and aversion has been cultivated. During the inevitable ups and downs of the experience, it will do well to take such locally resonant messages to heart.
0 comments:
Post a Comment