3 years ago
Thursday, July 24, 2008
C'est Feu Continu
I have this coffee table book called A Turning Point: Images to Words that I bought in the United Nations gift shop a few years ago.
In that book are many quotes accompanying many brilliant photographs by a photographer named Victor Gagliardi. At various moments in my life since I brought it home with me, I have been inspired in turn by many of those quotes and pictures.
And what, you ask, does any of this have to do with giving my blog a home at feucontinu.blogspot.com?
Well, that would be this quote, by French author Jean Giono:
Do you know what creation is?
It is feu continu (uninterrupted fire).
You simply keep on going,
taking up each day from where you ceased.
What you insist on calling genius in me is artisan.
My father was a shoemaker.
So I am to the last.
I think that the idea of uninterrupted fire is a really powerful metaphor for what I'm supposed to be trying to do with the next 18 months or so of my life.
In doing development work, many people (mistakenly, in my opinion) believe that the purpose of every project - every school, every well, every book drive, every World Vision child sponsor - is to change the world. As if by vigorous efforts in a single place in a single time will somehow cascade into more vigorous efforts in other single places in other single times and that somehow, all together they will result in a grand cascade of 'change' heard round the world.
Don't get me wrong. I do believe that this work can change the world. But I think that expecting every single thing we do to catalyze sweeping changes and improvements is a bit short-sighted. Enthusiasm for that kind of work burns brightly, yes, but it also burns quickly, and leaps chaotically from place to place, often burning out before the work is done. There's no persistence possible when one believes in change alone.
Over the coming months, I hope to share with you the privilege of being part of a project that, yes, at its heart, is founded on a belief that change is possible and can be done in this way (that is, through development projects and enthusiastic volunteers). But I also want to remember that it is change in small increments and born of ceaseless effort. Success is not simply measured by change, but also by persistence.
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(Unrelated note: If you have a few minutes to spare some time, I highly recommend reading Giono's short story L'homme qui plantait des arbres (The Man Who Planted Trees). I've linked to an English translation here.)
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DISCLAIMER
The point of this blog is to share my experiences and perspectives on my experiences as an OVS, the politics of my world, the wonders and tragedies of my communities, and anything else that finds its way into my average little head. Keyword: "my."
The opinions expressed on this blog represent my own and not those of my employer or any organization I may be affiliated with.
In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time. I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind and a natural result of the experiences that this blog chronicles.
Furthermore, I enjoy reading other peoples' blogs, and commenting on them from time to time. If you run across such comments, the opinions expressed therein also represent my own and not those of my employer or any organization I may be affiliated with, nor should you expect the views in those comments to remain static for all time. Feel free to draw your own conclusions about my formal political leanings and affiliations from the slant of those blogs, with the understanding that those conclusions are probably wrong.
(props to daveberta for inspiration on the wording)
The opinions expressed on this blog represent my own and not those of my employer or any organization I may be affiliated with.
In addition, my thoughts and opinions change from time to time. I consider this a necessary consequence of having an open mind and a natural result of the experiences that this blog chronicles.
Furthermore, I enjoy reading other peoples' blogs, and commenting on them from time to time. If you run across such comments, the opinions expressed therein also represent my own and not those of my employer or any organization I may be affiliated with, nor should you expect the views in those comments to remain static for all time. Feel free to draw your own conclusions about my formal political leanings and affiliations from the slant of those blogs, with the understanding that those conclusions are probably wrong.
(props to daveberta for inspiration on the wording)
1 comment:
Hello,
My name is Dorothy. I live in Ottawa, Canada. I would like to ask you a few questions about NKhamenya, specifically Nkhamenya town and Nkhamenya girls secondary school. If you are able to answer me please, let me know at ldelevante@yahoo.com
thanks
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