Working for the Race Relations Project doesn't just mean facilitating others' race dialogues. Thankfully, I also get a chance to have a discussion with all the other facilitators. Last week I was challenged pretty thoroughly in that conversation.
Essentially, the conversation had to do with what we plan on doing after school. Feeling pretty confident about my direction in life, I ventured that I plan on working for a nonprofit, and pretty much don't care if I don't make much money. And I'm willing to be pretty low on cash for awhile if I have to wait for a position that I feel passionate about.
I then joined others in questioning those who said they are planning to just find the first decent paying job they can get, and maybe eventually work their way into a job they can love. What? Why be miserable to have money? Even worse, some of these people had chosen their major and their future profession on the advice (or insistence) of their parents. Come on. It's not your dad's job. It's not his life. If you don't get to pick your life as a 20-something college graduate, when do you?
And then, the conversation got flipped around. Why is it that I can choose earning less money, having a job that I am excited for and care about, waiting until that opportunity arises? No one is depending on me. My parents don't need me to support them. My sister isn't relying on me, and I don't have any younger siblings who need me to help put them in college.
In some ways, I discovered that I am proud of the decisions I have made. I've come to the point of not caring if I make a lot of money. I'm excited to have a career counter to the cultural expectations of the American dream. I'm passionate about serving the poor, living with the poor, and probably being fairly poor. The challenges, sacrifices, pain, and failures that will come... I hope to bear with joy and hope.
But my pride in those decisions comes from almost completely ignoring all the blessings that have made them possible. I've been blessed with a family that doesn't need my financial support, and probably will continue to support me in some ways. I face very little risk in my decisions. Even if I utterly failed and came out broke and dejected, my parents would help me get back on my feet. They gave me the amazing gift of a good education, and there will always be a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and a job if I want them.
Others have not been so incredibly privileged. Who am I to judge their decisions?
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2 comments:
excellent point. as Americans, I feel like we tend to obscure our family background in pursuit of individualism and equality. But it does play a huge role in many decisions - from everything to major career decisions to simple holiday plans. In the same way that students from single-child families may find it hard to understand the additional family responsibilities of those with siblings, our background - financially and socially - can strongly shape our time commitments and decisions. If you're a middle-class American, you generally, though not always, have the ability to be selective about your job; many others aren't so fortunate. It's keeping that in perspective that's difficult, especially in a society that is overly concerned with 'following your heart,' as Disney would put it.
I like this entry. Obviously you understand why.
I'm glad to have read it.
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