Integral Ecology: // the responsibility of each individual to see beyond himself or herself; to preserve the beauty of the interconnectedness among ourselves and this world’s diverse societies and environment.
In our Fall Quarter fellowship class we were asked to read “Laudato Si” and reflect upon the Pope’s call to justice in this broken world. And indeed, we live in a very broken world. In all its cultural fragmentations, however, we are called to be interconnected – to involve ourselves in giving a voice to the voiceless, in feeding the hungry, in healing the sick, even in cleaning the very air that we breathe.
Following a reseller from home to home for interviews.
Traveling to Indonesia I mentally prepared myself for a forthcoming discomfort and direct confrontation with poverty. I prepared to be flexible with the different diet, the heat, and less luxurious living conditions. Even still, one can only imagine a foreign culture to a certain extent prior to actually living in it, so the best preparation I could do was remind myself of the need to be flexible. As mentioned in my in-field blog, our social impact assessment and confrontation with poverty mostly began on Sabu Island. Here, we were humbled by the sweaty and dirty living conditions of the local people, especially when contrasted with their overwhelmingly welcoming and upbeat attitudes. Those that met with Meghan and I treated us like celebrities because of our nationality and from the color of our skin/hair. The people were excited by the idea that foreigners were visiting Sabu Island, their island. Meghan and I discussed not letting this special treatment make us feel in any way “above” the people there. Of course, in preparation for working with those in poverty I assured myself that I would not think of myself as at all higher or more powerful than those inflicted with poverty, but I had never imagined that the people would treat me in such high regard.
One of the families we interviewed. The women laughed and smiled throughout the entire meeting, and displayed a clear closeness among themselves while also sincerely welcoming us into their home.
Upon this encounter I reflected on how this perception came to be. I thought about the global image that the U.S. has set up for itself as a dominant figure in the world. Particularly the U.S. dominates media worldwide, and idolizes figures like those seen on reality TV. Especially coming from California, Meghan and I were often asked if we knew celebrities and I’m sure were assumed to be in close quarters with social figures of the sort. Many times I was even called “Barbie,” due to my white skin and blonde hair. Though I consider myself to be very different from reality TV celebrities like the Kardashians, after returning to the U.S. and our daily comforts, my life in America suddenly seems disturbingly more similar than I had realized. In the U.S. we are constantly encouraged to pursue personal dreams and to have everything at our fingertips, and always distracted by the “need” to improve our external image in every way imaginable. It is difficult to wrestle with the comfort of living in American society, after having experienced the drastic contrast of the living conditions in the villages we visited in Indonesia. Where is the justice in this contrast? Why should I be able to come home to a cozy bed and drink water from the tap without
Many times we were encouraged, despite our polite protests, to sit in the more comfortable seats at the homes/local stores that we interviewed in. Here is an example where we offered to sit on the floor, but where our hosts insisted that they sit on the floor while we as guests sat on the chairs.
thinking twice about it? I certainly didn’t do anything differently to deserve such special treatment, and yet there were people like Ibu Tri, who dedicates her entire life to bettering the health and well-being of those around her, knowing that they deserve more.
Returning to school at Santa Clara I find myself wrestling with the idea of pursuing the common Silicon Valley search for a 9:00-5:00 job at a solely for-profit business. I find myself questioning where our society’s exciting new companies and products will get us in the end, as many continue to foster extensive consumerism and individualistic mindsets. This all sounds hopelessly cynical and critical towards those who pursue everyday business, but rather I think it is simply a personal realization of my call to social justice.
At every home it was common custom and courtesy to take off one’s shoes and sit sideways on the floor together. At each home we were welcomed by the families we met with, and deeply impacted by their stories and realities.
I am increasingly thankful for the opportunity I have had to learn about social entrepreneurship and to work with a social enterprise like Nazava. There is hope for improving the poverty gap and for holistically patching up the brokenness of this world. Though I still feel very new to the whole idea of social entrepreneurship and am still discerning my place in this call to justice, I have faith that I am being guided in the right direction. With each day I see the local injustices around me, and reflect upon the injustices I encountered in Indonesia. I also experienced in Indonesia the community and welcoming attitude that contrasts American individualism. My hope is that I can discover more about what changes might be made and about how they can be made, to help further integrate humanity. I uncovered unknown privileges about my lifestyle while in Indonesia, but I hope that I continue to discover these while at home and while discerning where I will be post-graduation.
Me sweaty from heat and exhaustion, interviewing in a home at one of the villages where we conducted interviews. Behind me is the home’s Nazava water filter, from which I am measuring the total dissolved solids of the water.
Every day I pray that God will lead me down the path I believe He has designed for me. I pray that I will discover more about the passions that I am called towards. Through my encounters and experiences in Indonesia I am certain of my deep social awareness and compassion. I am not always skilled at understanding my own emotions, but I am deeply attuned to those of others. What this will mean for my future, I am still figuring out, but through long, hot and exhausting days of interviewing, I felt something stir inside. There I was, walking through the motions of living in various Indonesian societies, taking off my shoes at front doors, squatting over holes in the ground for bathrooms, eating lunch for $1, sitting on hard cement floors, walking in the muggy heat, eating the snacks offered in each home (sometimes covered in ants), and taking the time to listen to those impacted by Nazava’s water filters. I was exhausted by the end of each long interview day, guilty at how ready I was to come home to a clean, air-conditioned hotel room. I still have yet to fully discern where this will lead me in terms of meeting others’ needs, but I know that I am open to discovering this calling.
As I look over my past year, I feel blessed with the experiences that I have been fortunate enough to have. At this time last year I was studying abroad in Cape Town, South Africa, where I encountered the most visible contrast of social inequality that I have seen so far. At the same time I also experienced a love for nature that I had never known before, later to discover how closely it would echo the thoughts of the Pope in “Laudato Si” as he calls humanity responsible for taking care of our earth. By the end of the year I was in Indonesia, experiencing a love for the people whose stories left me feeling called to support their rights to an improved well-being. All in all, my past year’s experiences have begun to provide me with a holistic view of a calling for an integral ecology – that each and every human being is deserving of a life where he or she feels empowered, and that we
Surrounded by the striking nature that we are called to preserve.
are responsible for empowering our earth simultaneously. As explained, I am still discovering how this will look in my own life, but I am hopeful that I will continue to learn and that I will end up where I’m meant to be, offering aid to the integral ecology that I am a part of.