Comments on: The Sacrifice of Service http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/ A Mormon Blog Mon, 13 Feb 2012 20:38:28 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Sam MB http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83396 Sun, 17 Dec 2006 19:33:38 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83396 re: 33, you bring up some important points. Sometimes in international work you’re right the gringo/americano is in it for the feel-good drama of the adventure (great cocktail stories) and may not have the real skills required to make change in a given cultural context. Sometimes the gringo is necessary to get the money to flow, an accommodation to the system that is necessary. Other times the gringo knows the situation well, speaks the language and knows the culture. For me, I was fluent in Russian, had lived there on and off for a long time, and had been working on infections in that region for much of the time. It seemed like a good fit and not a decision to seek for fame. The thing I’ve tried to understand since is whether it was fear or the Spirit speaking, as they both have fairly immediate access to our “reins” (pardon the obscure OT reference). I appreciate Chad’s input that spirt/revelation can easily trump established rules.

]]> By: Chad S. http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83395 Sun, 17 Dec 2006 18:26:39 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83395 This post brings up many interesting questions about humanitarian service, public (global) health, and social justice.

Certainly if Sam were moved by the Spirit and felt inspired to work in that specific TB project, then perhaps he should do it regardless of the risks, and even regardless of the effectiveness of his involvement.

More often, however, it seems to me that individuals may be moved by the Spirit to help out, or they want to help out. The specific way, however, may not be the will of God.

In those instances (most of the time, I think), results should be emphasized, methods should be evaluated, local people and resources should be utilized, the local system should be strengthened, and a long-term committment is needed.

I plan on posting on this soon on my blog (see #30 above).

]]> By: a random cougar http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83394 Sun, 17 Dec 2006 06:05:28 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83394 I couldn’t help but notice that the deal in the ad was to trade cold freezing poor people for cold freezing other people (with a good chance of frostbite and/or breaking through ice), when perhaps they could’ve gotten wood just as easily somewhere else. Like post 30, there are certainly opportunities to do good that involve diving into the line of fire. There are others that don’t. It can lose that certain macho appeal but if it gets the job done, you can’t complain about that.

As for the Russian TB opportunity- could there have been another fellow who could’ve done the job just as well, or even better? Perhaps a homegrown Russian who would’ve even known the language and culture and bureaucracy (kleptocracy) better and done a fine job? Maybe not, that poster knows the situation better than I could. What’s wrong with letting someone else take the limelight? What’s wrong with “never amounting to anything” if you do work that gets the job done anyway? (Or maybe in other words, since when were we in this for the honors of men? : )

]]> By: sarah http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83393 Sat, 16 Dec 2006 00:00:33 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83393 I have tremendous respect for Paul Farmer. I’ve read all his works, and the excellent biography about him “Mountains Beyond Mountains.” He has done so much good. At the very least, he’s brought a socioeconomic perspective to epidemiology that was much needed.

He lost his marriage because of his devotion to saving “the world.”

We work so hard to preserve life. Suffering should be alleviated, yes. Prevention? Sure.

But as Mormons we can engage in saving ETERNAL life.

That trumps physical life.

That’s why as Mormons when we choose family but still are lifetime missionaries, we didn’t sell out.

]]> By: Sacrifice and Service « UNACCEPTABLE http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83392 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:34:13 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83392 [...] Interesting post about the cost of service at the Mormon blog By Common Consent. Posted by chads Filed in Uncategorized [...]

]]> By: Chad S. http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83391 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 17:30:40 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83391 Enjoyed the post. Thanks, Sam.

What sacrifices for outsiders can fairly be made when we are in a family?

I don’t know, but here are a few guidelines I try to use:

-Follow the Spirit. Easier said than done.

-Pick interventions that aren’t as risky. Seems to me that there are less dangerous ways to fight multi-drug resistant TB (advocacy, health systems development, lobbying, education, etc.)

-Make decisions together with family/spouse.

#4: I want to be involved in the lives of my children now, while they still want to be involved in my life. I am pretty aware that the time will come when they won’t want me around and will think I am an idiot, so I want to enjoy the good times while they last. My daughter is not always going to wake up at 4 am and want to come cuddle with her Dad. I can either resent it, or cherish it.

Great point, Matt. Isn’t there something to be said, as well, for your 9 year-old daughter waking up at 4am to see her mother working on a project to prevent malaria? Or explaining to your 13-year old that the cause mom and dad are involved in is, in fact worth the sacrifice and risk of being away from home or travel?

#25: It was not so long ago that the sacrifice of one’s family for a greater cause was considered noble and a moral duty.

I agree, Garf. There is something to be said for sacrifice for a cause greater than yourself.

#24: The moral exemplars seemed to have love/patience/time for everyone except for those who were closest to them.

True. If I remember correctly, Albert Schweitzer and Lowell Bennion also expressed regrets that they had not spent more time with family.

(BTW, I will be linking to this post at my blog about global health from an LDS perspective. Sam, I hope you’ll contact me sometime: unacceptableglobalhealth@gmail.com)

]]> By: Susan M http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83390 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 15:17:58 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83390 I’m in Huntington Beach, any mouse. My husband learned to surf in Hawaii, and when we moved back to WA, continued to surf there. He’s gotten soft, though, and mostly surfs in the summer here in Cali, when he can trunk it.

]]> By: any mouse http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83389 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 05:27:42 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83389 re: 19, susan, one of the things we hate about california are how cold the beaches are, ha! of course, we came from hawai’i and are appropriately spoiled. the water is just so darn cold here! (if i’m not mistaken, you live just up the road, er, interstate from us.) i guess it could be worse… this could be ohio!

i know that for my husband’s current line of work and his previous one (with whatever the security clearance is just below top secret, i can never remember), they reeeeeally like the lds. there were assumed to be a lot less liabilities and a lot of benefits like a stronger than normal support system. but they actively discourage “the family man” from taking any of the real covert jobs. it makes sense for the family, in terms of time spent away, risk factors, and so on… but i think (and this is just an *i* think) it makes sense for the employer, who may find someone like a spy (or whatever, you james bond people can fill in the correct word for me) to be more of a liability if he has a family. didn’t they get jack bauer to crack a bit when it came to his moronic daughter?

(contrary to my (over?)use of parentheses, i am not lisa from fmh.)

]]> By: a random cougar http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83388 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 04:46:45 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83388 For what it’s worth, the CIA is the only employer I’ve seen at every single BYU career fair I’ve been to.

One could surmirse that they value linguistic abilities and difficulty in blackmailing (via teetotaling and monogamy) over the ability to order a martini. And yes, they have a multitude of desk jobs. : )

]]> By: P. Anderson http://bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/13/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83387 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 03:55:45 +0000 http://www.bycommonconsent.com/2006/12/the-sacrifice-of-service/#comment-83387

Early LDS church leaders thought nothing of calling men to leave their families for years at a time to do missionary work.

Early LDS church leaders didn’t have the human capitol that current ones do. There are (or were last April) 52,000 full time missionaries that are single adults, or married couples with grown children. We have enough members now that we can afford to ask for the all encompassing, leave-your life behind kind of service only from those who have few other obligations and attachments.

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