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Sharon McDowell
World Views and Values
Dr. Mar Peter-Raoul
February 3, 2010
“When will our consciences grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than
avenge it?”
Eleanor Roosevelt
The struggle for power and domination colors the history of almost every nation
worldwide. We can crack open history texts and examine the atrocities committed by Nazi
soldiers in World War II. We can read about the torments inflicted by the grand inquisitors of the
Spanish Inquisition during the widespread hysteria over witchcraft and compare it to similar
events taking place in Africa today. We can go even further back and examine the war methods
of the ancient Roman Empire in their pursuit for domination of the known world. It is my
opinion that the evolution of human consciousness is impeded by both a struggle over man’s
inherent impulse to seize power, which is in conflict with his inner drive to strive for a virtuous
life, and also by the frustrations and feelings of futility that can be experienced in the pursuit of
humanitarian efforts.
An article in a recent issue of The New York Times stated that the Taliban, a well-known
oppositional organization holding a key position of power in Afghanistan, had denied that it had
met with a popular U.N. Envoy to discuss a possible peace negotiation. Apparently, President
Hamid Karzai of the Afghan government publicly opened the door for a resolution to violence in
his country by inviting the Taliban to partake in peace talks. It would appear from the article that
a lower level member of the terrorist organization did meet with Kai Eide, a United Nations
representative. Rather than influencing others to consider the idea of a peaceful solution to
violence, the public announcement seemed to anger the Taliban organization. The article quotes
the organization as stating openly, “The leadership council once again emphasizes the
continuation of the Islamic jihad against all invaders.” When given the opportunity to work for
peace, it would appear that the drive to hold power and seek some obscure form of revenge makes
the Taliban reluctant to relent.
On a much smaller scale, I experienced an event that made me face the reality of my
own impulse for power and how strong of a drive it can be for the average person.
Approximately five years ago, I had the opportunity to host several Lakota style sweat lodges
over the summer and winter. The ceremonies were inspiring and rich with meaning. They took
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place inside of a lodge and the ritual was divided into four rounds. During each round, all
members were asked to participate in an aspect of the ceremony. The second round was
dedicated specifically for prayers. One by one all the attendees spoke aloud their various prayers,
which included wishes for love, wealth, and health among other things. Although the specific
topics addressed were different, we all spoke of struggles that were occurring in our own
microscopic universe. Each prayer seemed to center on a way that we could obtain some kind of
power over our issues. The lodge pourer was the last to offer up her blessings. She prayed for
the survivors of the 2004 Tsunami disaster in Indonesia, for the many homeless people who were
without shelter, for the many who were starving because they could not afford food to feed their
families. She prayed for the indigenous people on the Pine Ridge reservation who could not
afford heat, for the families of those who had lost loved ones on September 11th, and for the
soldiers who were fighting in Iraq. On and on she verbalized her many prayers for the people
who were struggling in all nations around the world. It opened my eyes to the fact that even
when we perceive that we are virtuous, we can still be self-centered and focused on our own
power struggles instead of truly looking at the world around us.
Sometimes we can be faced with odds that feel very nearly insurmountable. For example,
The New York Times recently reported on how the multiple wars that have taken place in Iraq
have demolished the country’s mental health system. The article, “Iraq Mends a System to Treat
Trauma,” by John Leland offers the following statistic: “By 2006, fewer than 100 psychiatrists
remained in the population of about 30 million, and [there were] almost no psychologists.”
Patients suffering from post-traumatic stress had nowhere to turn for aid. It seemed that many of
the Iraqi people went to primary care physicians who simply gave them anti-depressant drugs and
could offer no referrals to any type of counseling services. In 2008, six medical teams were
chosen to travel from Iraq to study various methods of mental health techniques that we
implement here in the United States (Leland). In 2009, some primary-care doctors agreed to take
courses in order to learn how to recognize and treat some types of mental disorders (Leland).
There seems to be a new emergence of integrative health care taking place in Iraq with an
institution known as The Sara Center leading the trend. Unfortunately, it would seem that the
number of opportunities available are insignificant when compared to the number of people
seeking aid. Despite this shortage, I do think it is inspiring to see that a nation wrecked by war
can recognize the need for a strong mental healthcare infrastructure for its suffering inhabitants.
Personally, I have experienced the difficulties and frustrations of trying help people.
When I lived in Norwalk, Connecticut, I tried to help two recovering drug addicts overcome their
addictions. I did not fully understand the process but I offered aid by driving both of them to
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methadone clinics, accompanying one to court dates, driving one to a rehabilitation clinic, and
even going so far as to let one of them detox in the basement of my own home. I know now that
the battle recovering addicts face is tremendous and that every inch they gain is achieved only
through desperate struggle. It is disheartening to know that both people I assisted have returned
to lives of drug addiction. I do not regret my choice to offer aid because I know that it was their
personal choices that have returned them to their paths of addiction; but I have to acknowledge
that the futility of the situation hurt. I have not given up on the idea of helping others, but I have
learned that I can offer aid in ways other than to invite people into my own home.
I believe any humanitarian effort that decreases the suffering of others is a worthy cause.
Too many people are overcome by the trials they face and give up hope. It is my personal dream
to achieve a life where I can bring hope to other people. I know that some of the difficulties that I
will personally face will be to reconcile the true virtue of this intent with a desire to achieve more
power over my own life and not be side tracked with disappointment and difficulties that I might
face along my path.
Resources
Filkins, Dexter. “Taliban Deny Meeting With a U.N. Envoy.” New York Times 31 Jan. 2010:
Section N12.
Leland, John. “Iraq Mends A System To Treat Trauma: Clinics Restructure Mental Health Care.”
New York Times 31 Jan. 2010: Section N6.