2-3-4 Friday
‘Seeking to spark the most potential within you per word of any online newsletter’
1 thought
Singapore’s Minister for Social and Family Development,
Masagos Zulkifli said this recently in a documentary (start at 14:53),
When you give a blanket to someone on the street you only solve the poverty in your heart.
To solve the poverty on the street, takes a whole system.
I think there are two layers to this comment - and here is my own interpretation.
Firstly, that we may have entered social work (or done good) to resolve the poverty in our own hearts. Not necessarily, to help others.
What do I mean? I know that I initially joined social work because I wanted to ‘help people’ but then I slowly realised that it was more about helping myself.
It was to distract myself from my own problems, and to convince myself that I had something to give to others.
How did I know
this?
Because one afternoon, as I was listening to one client share I thought to myself,
I don’t care.
I really don’t care.
That’s when I knew I had to stop, because I had stopped caring about myself. I had used the problems of
others to distract myself from the real work that needed to be done within myself.
1 talk
When you give a blanket to someone on the street you only solve the poverty in your heart. To solve poverty on the street, takes a whole system.
- Masagos Zulkifli, Minister for Social and Family Development,
Singapore
1 tip
Second and more importantly, that change needs an awareness of systems, and where we are located in those systems. (I think this article about how you can better understand where to intervene in a system might help).
For example, how many of us ask
ourselves,
at which level of the system are we working at, and is it the most effective layer to work through change?
This may sound abstract, but hold on.
Let’s say you want to create a society where there’s greater equality of opportunity.
Sounds huge.
But perhaps it might work better that you think,
could this be best done individually, mentoring some student in need?
Or might this be better done conducting a group training session about how to best network?
Or might it be better that you lobby politicians behind closed doors to understand how best they should help?
Same system, different levels of working.
- Intrapersonal - Within yourself
- Interpersonal - With Individuals
- Group - A group
you’re familiar with
- System - The entire network of connections you are part of
- Whole system
It’s like understanding where you can do the most damage to someone.
Next time you want to change something, try this. Ask yourself,
Where exactly am I trying to make change?
John
Live Young, Live Well - Work Your Love
Think others might benefit? I’m counting on you.
Forward this on.