The power of human compassion

I would like to comment on a few points from Sarah’s post.

I don’t think that Paul Farmer‘s “personal holiness” is what makes him an effective humanitarian. Farmer mentions his religious views, but these are largely irrelevant to his mission and not what he uses to “move mountains.” His true motivation lies in his inherent feelings of responsibility to help the disadvantaged.

Farmer’s projects are effective in Haiti and elsewhere because he respects and doesn’t interfere with his patient’s religious views and actually observes them himself to better understand their lives. (Voodoo in Haiti is the most vibrant example.) Only after integrating himself into his patients’ lifestyles, does Farmer truly feel the weight of the issues he’s dealing with.

His goal is not to convince anyone to replicate his religious views. He is not a missionary. Instead, his goal is to provide the poor with healthcare, a basic human right, and empathy. He seems superhuman and Christlike in his abilities, but he admirably spreads his faith in action, not prophecy. This is the kind of moral pureness is often muddled by today’s politics.

Farmer’s biggest complaint about white liberals or WLs is that they feel that writing a check or sitting at a conference (which they may consider “personal holiness“) is enough to solve major health crises. Farmer, however shows us that action and hard work are what create change.

To me, this is almost comforting. If Farmer is not moved by a spiritual being that visits him at night, don’t we all have the ability to move mountains as young, healthy vessels, regardless of our religious background?

I agree that Farmer has accomplished more than many of today’s leaders. This success is due partially to the fact that he is not tangled in a platform or catechism. He is focused on what he calls AMC’s (areas of moral clarity): improving the lives of the destitute through redistribution, proper health care, basic empathy, sweat and sleepless nights.