What do we value?

This summer I am involved in an interesting local pilot project of a Day Treatment Program. It is a compilation of efforts by a variety of parties but mainly between the local school district and a therapeutic services program. Our job is to provide treatment, education, and care to youth between 7 and 12 years of age with extreme behavioral needs. We can only have up to 12 kids in the program and for a variety of reasons not really worth discussing, we currently have two kids in the program. However, I thought it would be worth mentioning the Values of our program which include: Kindness, Humor, Honesty, Empathy, Responsibility, Respect, and Fairness.

I am writing about this for the evening because obviously these are the values that every member of the world should have, yet it is so rare that we find people who adhere to these values day in and day out. Part of what I hope to do with my blog is to increase awareness of a variety of issues in the hope that it will remind me (and hopefully us) of what it means to be a true member of this world. Through our personal choices we are every day communicating what our individual values are and are not. Do we value the person driving in front of us? Do we value the Earth? Do we value the future of our children? Do we value the child with AIDS in Africa? Do we value the indigenous worker harvesting our morning coffee? Do we value the cow in the field behind our house? Do we value ourselves? Whether we are aware of it or not, every single one of our daily actions effects the lives of everyone and every other living thing on this planet. In my mind, I guess it just comes down to whether or not we care. Are our lives for us or are we willing and able to contribute to the betterment of the whole?

One thing that I struggle with at times is just how many of my thoughts and opinions to share. I don't know that many other people are considerably moved by the things that move me and I also don't know if I completely believe in trying to change other people. This summer as I work with these youth, I am constantly pulled between meeting their individual needs and trying to educate them for and of the world. However can they truly be engaged in the betterment of the world, if they first do not have their own basic needs met? Is that part of the reasons that we at times also struggle in living for the world, because our needs are not met?

So many questions I know. So on a final note I will leave you with part of where these thoughts originated from. Culture is one of my biggest passions, so I have begun our summer lessons by exploring regions of the world from geographic and cultural standpoints. I don't know that I am doing the best job but under the circumstances I am trying to give a general overview.

Tomorrow we begin learning about Africa. A region immense in its beauty and yet full of strife from cultural, political, health, and environmental issues. You all have read my post about Blood Diamond, and some of you may be aware that I won't buy Shell gas anymore either. However yesterday I quickly glimpsed something about an additional conflict going on due to coltan, which is a component found in most electronics and that is creating more human rights violations in a region of Africa. Now I love my laptop and my digital camera and have already decided that I won't replace these objects until they completely die. However I feel guilty supporting an industry that, although maybe indirectly, contributes to increased difficulties in an already difficult region of the world. SO what do I value I ask myself? Where do I draw the line on that value? And how do I demonstrate what I value? These are the questions I am beginning to ask myself more and more and I would ask, what do you value too?!