Old Essay Advocating for National Service

Recently, I read an essay by American psychologist and philosopher William James titled "The Moral Equivalent of War." The essay was published in 1910, but based on a speech James gave in 1906 at Stanford University. In it, James argues against overt militarism and war in general, and for a national service similar to AmeriCorps and the Peace Corps. That's why it is relevant to us.

Before presenting some of James's views, let me be clear: I am not non-military nor am I naive enough to think that our citizens and values can be defended without sometimes threatening to use force or actually using force. War is most definitely as option for defense, but it should not be the first option, nor should we be eager to engage in war. Diplomacy should be the foundation of any foreign policy. Okay, enough political talk, back to James's essay.

He says:
"Patriotic pride and ambition in their military form, are, after all, only specifications of a more general competitive passion. They are its first form, but that is no reason for supposing them to be its last form. Men now are proud of belonging to a conquering nation, and without a murmur they lay down their persons and their wealth, if by so doing they may fend off subjection. But who can be sure that other aspects of one's country may not, with time and education and suggestion enough, come to be regarded with similarly effective feelings of pride and shame."

He continues here to make his case for national service for all Americans:
"If now-and this is my idea-there were, instead of military conscription a conscription of the whole youthful population to form for a certain number of years a part of the army enlisted against Nature, the injustice would tend to be evened out, and numerous other goods to the commonwealth would follow. The military ideals of hardihood and discipline would be wrought into the growing fibre of the people; no one would remain blind as the luxurious classes now are blind, to man's real relations to the globe he lives on, and to the permanently sour and hard foundations of his higher life."

In this final excerpt, James explains to his readers the benefits of national service programs, such as AmeriCorps:
"Such a conscription, with the state of public opinion that would have required it, and the many moral fruits it would bear, would preserve in the midst of a pacific civilization the manyly virtues which the military party is so afraid of seeing disappear in peace. We should get toughness without callousness, authority with as little criminal cruelty as possible, and painful work done cheerily because the duty is temporary, and threatens not, as now, to degrade the whole remainder of one's life. I spoke of the "moral equivalent" of war. So far, war has been the only force that can discipline a whole community, and until an equivalent discipline is organized, I believe that war must have its way. But I have no serious doubt that the ordinary prides and shames of social man, once developed to a certain intensity, are capable of organizing such a moral equivalent as I have sketched, or some other just as effective for preserving manliness of type. It is but a question of time, of skillful propagandism, and of opinion-making men seizing historic opportunities."

All of this is true for us, especially that last sentence. When James says "opinion-making men," he means Presidents and members of Congress for us now. We've seen this proved several times, most recently with the Serve America Act. When American leaders ask Americans to serve, both in military and civilian service, we've responded.

I apologize for the length of this post, but I think James's essay if fascinating because we're both attracted to national service. I hope you all enjoy this essay and these thoughts. Please offer your comments. Have a good week!

Find the Money!

An editorial in today's New York Times urges Congress to find the money to fully finance the Serve America Act, passed earlier this year by Congress and signed by President Obama. I would be disappointed if Congress didn't deliver on its financial promises to expand national service programs such as AmeriCorps, but I would not be surprised. Let's hope that responsible leaders such as Iowa Senator Tom Harkin "stand firm" to deliver the expansion of service opportunities put forth in this important legislation.

Heartbreaking

As Brian Laurent mentioned earlier this year, Barbara Ehrenreich wrotes often about poverty. In her most recent article, Ehrenreich chronicles the daily life of Kristen and Joe Parente, a Delaware couple with three children struggling to get by on a daily basis. The story is awful and heartbreaking, but it is real. Poverty is paralyzing and difficult to deal with, physically and emotionally.

AmeriCorps VISTAs serve to eliminate poverty. We have to work harder, because I don't want to read more stories like this.

I'm sorry for the bummer post. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Not At All Disappointing

Check out this article from baseball writer Jerry Crasnick explaining why Orioles fans have reason for optimism.

Go O's!!

Disappointing, But Not Surprising

This article discusses the recent increase in family homelessness in the United States.

Vietnam anyone?

According to a brief blurb in this morning's Argus Leader, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Sioux Falls is asking for two volunteers to represent the community during the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project 2009 Mekong Build in November. Sounds like a great opportunity!

Or, if you're looking to volunteer for Habitat with a cultural twist but remain close to home, come on out to Mission. We'd love to have you. (Yes, I'm shameless...)

How to Sell Helping Others

Good Morning! In today's issue of The New York Times, columnist Nicholas Kristof writes an article about humanitarian aid and how humans choose to help other humans, or choose not to help. At the beginning, Kristof talks about the humanitarian aid meetings at the G-8 Summit in Italy for world leaders. But near the end of the article, he says several things useful to us as VISTAs.

"As some research suggests," writes Kristof, "people give in large part to feel good inside. That works best when you write a check and the problem is solved. If instead you're reminded of larger problems that you can never solve, the feel-good rewards diminish." Near the end he asks, "I also wonder if our unremitting focus on suffering and unmet needs stirs up a cloud of negative feelings that incline people to avert their eyes and hurry by."

So, how are these thoughts relevant to what we do as VISTAs? Well, part of "indirect service" includes enticing people to contribute to the organizations we work with in some capacity, whether through donating their time or their money. To convince these people to donate, we have to effectively market our services to them, so they don't feel as if they are wasting their time and/or money. This means selling the problems in our communities, and Kristof argues that individualizing "suffering and unmet needs" makes volunteers and donors feel like their contributions will actually help someone this moment, rather than attempting to solve a massive problem in which their contributions will barely make a dent.

Honestly, I'm hesitant to "sell poverty," partly because I feel like I'm using and manipulating other's lives without their consent so my organization benefits financially. I'm still not entirely comfortable with that. But, learning effective marketing strategies to help others can be part of a valuable VISTA service year, and Kristof's article gives us ideas to reconsider as we work to "build capacity."

I hope everyone has a great day!

What Is a Master’s Degree Worth?

For those of us considering the pursuit of a graduate degree after VISTA, this article in the New York Times and the accompanying comments were fascinating.