By: ahelms.com » Shared Responsibility, Human Bridges

ahelms.com » Shared Responsibility, Human Bridges — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:34:14 +0000

[...] my July 12 post about Lawrence Wallack’s article Retelling the American Story, I wrote about the terms WITT (we’re in this together) and YOYO (you’re on your own). [...]

By: Andrew

Andrew — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 02:41:28 +0000

I agree with Wallack’s point, but also am encouraged by the many examples of WITT that we are surrounded by. Friends and neighbors prepare meals for new parents and injured tennis teammates. Redeemer has a missions team in Guatemala. Many friends have adopted children who may otherwise be underprivileged orphans. That said, it seems Americans value YOYO ideals more. Nobody wants to pay more taxes. We still drive huge, gas guzzling cars. We think a market-based approach to erasing individual carbon footprints is appropriate. Maybe these trends can be reversed if, like Wallack suggests, we collectively make an effort to tell WITT stories.

By: Donna J

Donna J — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 11:58:58 +0000

Thanks for sharing this on your website. I would be interested in knowing if you agree with Wallack’s point of view. Do you think we are getting to be too much of a YOYO society? I have thought about this some before this article, but not with the same terms. I tried asking myself the following: Do you feel burdened or disgusted at someone you know who asks for your help? Is it different when it is a stranger? Is it different if it is a faceless stranger or a group of faceless strangers?
This is what I came up with. I love to help my friends and family. I am glad when they ask for me to be pulled into community. It makes me feel good. Meanwhile, if someone I don’t know were to ask me for help directly, I am not sure that I could turn them down. I can’t say that I would relish the request, but I think that 9 times out of 10, afterward I would be grateful that I had the opportunity or that I had something to offer. There is something about seeing the need on someone’s face that compels me to want to reach out. For instance, every time it rains and I see someone standing in the rain waiting for a bus, all I want to do is stop my car and offer them a ride. I have never done it out of my own fear (of people, talking to strangers, etc.), but I want to do it.
For the last question, I turn to an article I read recently: http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/04/11/too-many-to-care/
It refers to a quote by Mother Teresa, “If I look at the mass I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.”
The author is speaking more about genocide and our failure to act due to the large numbers and statistics used when discussing mass murder in the world. But I think this is just as useful to describe our reactions to millions without healthcare and all such grand atrocities in the US and the world. Speaking of my own personal feelings toward it, sometimes it all feels too big.
I guess it makes sense that sharing stories can help bring back our balance between the YOYO and WITT societies. I know that I could stand to hear more stories and less statistics, maybe it will help move me past my feeling of helplessness or numbness to the masses.

Comments on: Lawrence Wallack: Retelling the American Story

By: ahelms.com » Shared Responsibility, Human Bridges

By: Andrew

By: Donna J