(hu)Man in the Mirror

Since February, I've worked with 20+ different groups totaling over 600 volunteers from all over the dis-United States: Pennsylvania, Washington, New York, Kansas, Missouri, Texas, New Jersey and, of course, California. I've met people from all social and economic levels. I've met people on the far left, on the far right, and in the middle of the political spectrum. I've worked with an 85-year old WWII vet and a 14-year old that was born when I was in Jr. High.

Of all these experiences, I've noticed a curious trend: the further away the volunteers come from, the more open they are to what they see, hear, and do here. It's a trend that crosses financial differences, social differences, and age differences. Why is it that the groups from the San Diego area (only ~45 min. away) only stay for a couple of days and the groups from across the country stay for a week? Why is it that the groups from San Diego listen to their individual iPods at the worksite and group from NY blast their music for everyone to hear? Why is it that the groups from San Diego say "I'm a volunteer, don't tell me what to do." and the group from San Anselmo, CA asks "Is there anything else you want me to do?" ? Why is it that the groups from San Diego leave their experience without even knowing the names of the families with which they worked, while the groups from Seattle, Kansas, NY, and Ohio maintain relationships with the families with whom they worked over 5 years ago?

One possibility: it's harder to try to change our own life than it is to try to change the life of someone else. The groups from San Diego live 15 miles away from the US-Mexico border. Changing their perspective of Tijuana as dirty, corrupt, and pleasure-driven means changing their perspective of San Diego as clean, straight, and righteous. Discovering the role of Mexicans as producers means discovering the their own role as consumers.

At the same time, I could just as easily ask groups from further away, "What do you do in your community?" or "How do you help your neighbor on a daily basis?" And their response would probably be similar to the volunteers from San Diego: "Not much." It just so happens that the neighbors of the San Diegans live in Tijuana and the neighbors of Seattlites live in Tacoma, White Center, Columbia City, etc. Why is it acceptable and even admirable for someone to join the Peace Corps and help build homes in the "Third World," while Tent City IV, a temporary housing community for homeless people in the greater Seattle area, sees considerable resistance by it's future neighbors. The Golden Rule comes to mind.

Perhaps I fit into this category too. After all, I'm thousands of miles from home, away from my family, away from my friends, doing "noble" deeds. Sure, I love the delicious, authentic Mexican tacos that I eat here every day, but have I ever even been to an authentic taco stand in Columbia City (<20 miles from my home in Seattle)? No.

At any rate, this is the level of change that we are working with here at Esperanza on a daily basis. The friendly conversation between neighbors, the inside jokes of co-humans, and the trust that results from the communal support of a first step; these are the "little" individual, man-in-the-mirror changes that are revolutionary. As Gandhi said, "be the change you wish to see in this world." Now, go out into the world and start changing yourself!

Paz, Amor, y Justicia,
Marcel ("El Chino") Tam