Private

Some things aren't meant to be shared. I have a big mouth and this is a hard concept to grasp, but I'm going to, for now, contemplate keeping this post private. There are some things that people shouldn't have to experience, but sometimes, in experiencing them, we learn important things about ourselves and each other. Sometimes events make us feel a certain way, but if we look deep down we realize that maybe we felt that way all along. It is the wretched event that leaps these feelings to the surface and allows us to begin to grow out of our handicaps.

I guess social work is all about, growing "out of" handicaps. Not diminishing their importance or acting as if they never existed, but giving voice to their beauty and warmth to the cold places they may leave humanity. I was told by a friend that being an "altruistic" person will enable me to never be happy. This was a overwhelming frustrating conversation. It was coming from a place of logic. He stated that he does not believe all people are created equal and that all people do not deserve to be treated the same. I found this alarming because my entire system of beliefs is tied into the idea that intrinsically, deep down, every person does have the same internal good.

It is easy to see where he is coming from, especially in my frustrations and all the darkness that is often shown to people in my line of work. We are trained and believe in the good, but often we are called in because darkness has overwhelmed a soul. It is easy for me to say that I am better than some of the people I've encountered in my life. It would make me feel better to think that all the people who have done "bad" things or who "don't contribute to society" are actually inferior. Then, however, one must define what truly is a bad thing or what contributing to society really is. There are too many elements in all of this argument. Enough elements that I do not have the time or energy, nor do I care to try and develope a philosophical ranting argument for or against this plight.