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.

Personal Holiness

In addition to reading Mountains Beyond Mountains, I recently also started reading, "Getting on Message: Challening the Christian Right from the Heart of the Gospel," a collection of essays. The first chapter, written by Marilynne Robinson, talks about personal holiness, which she describes as something not related to our actions or inactions,

“I believe holiness is a given of our being which, essentially, we cannot add to or diminish, and whose character and reality is fully known only to God, and fully valued only by him. What I might call personal holiness is in fact openness to the perception of the holy, in existence itself and above all in one another.”

Kidder makes references to Paul Farmer’s religious ties and how he uses them (and many others) to reach out to individuals who need care on the basis of love for the person, not economic feasibility. The apostle Paul, to paraphrase I Corinthians, says if he has knowledge and faith that will move mountains, but not love, he is nothing. It seems that doctor Paul is better able to put this into action than so many of our country’s leaders who concern themselves overmuch with abortion, gay marriage, etc… When was the last time you voted against poverty (i.e. the perpetual suffering and struggle for survival thousands experience every day) outright at the polls? I often find myself wondering when the members of Christian Right lost their way. Not only are they distracted from the political/human issues that really matter, they are besmirching the image of the faith I share with them by name, a faith that I would hope to see as the embodiment of love rather than condemnation. To this end, I say kudos to Paul Farmer, the embodiment of Christian love and respect for the holiness of every individual.

I am not the most eloquent writer. Much of what I’ve written comes in the form of quotes and to finish my food for thought train, I’ll end with one now.

“We ought to embrace the whole human race without exception in a single feeling of love; here there is no distinction between barbarian and Greek, worthy and unworthy, friend and enemy, since all should be contemplated in God, not in themselves. When we turn aside from such contemplation, it is no wonder we become entangled in many errors.”

-John Calvin

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About Paul Farmer...

For the general scoop, check out the Britannica Online entry.

To get to know Paul Farmer, definitely take a look at a couple of the videos posted on the website. My personal favorite is the video from Cambridge Community Television (be forewarned - it gets a little graphic...). I like it because he tells a story and then relates it to larger issues, and he does it in an entertaining yet compelling way. He's a great speaker, clearly very passionate about his work and clearly caring about the people he treats. And he's funny, too.

So take a listen - what do you think?

Why Read? Why Blog?

As a librarian, the first question is pretty easily answered - reading, to me, is key to learning, to discovery, to understanding other perspectives...and even though reading at its core is a solitary endeavor, when you arrive on campus in the fall, we'll all have this common experience of reading Tracy Kidder's amazing Mountains Beyond Mountains. And there's a lot to this book - global health issues, politics, religion, culture, poverty - we'll all grapple with these big issues in late August as we get together, in-person, to discuss the book.

So, why blog? Because this is how we can start the conversation - this is where you can start to put forward your own ideas, your own thoughts about the book, about Dr. Paul Farmer and his work, about how you can make a difference in the world. Professors will also be posting their thoughts and comments from their unique points of view as experts in their respective fields. It's going to be a great conversation. Please join us!