Capitol Spill

What’s Wrong with Washington? An Outsider’s Inside View

    Very early in the semester we were faced with the well-known reality of many individuals that come here with a driving ambition to ‘fix’ Washington D.C. To people around the country it appears as if there is something fundamentally broken or evil in this city and its halls of power. Clearly, the immediate conclusion is the following: we need a savior to deliver us from this evil. Sound familiar? It should if you know the story of the New Testament. The following constitutes a rationale of what I have learned of Washington’s flaws, with emphasis on subtle cognitive structures and the hidden myths therein. 

     It is inherent in human nature to hyperbolize: people we do not know, concepts we do not understand, musical masterpieces that overwhelm us, and places we've heard of, but have not yet visited. The same can be said about Washington, as people assign government and law mythical proportions with immeasurable powers. Out of these general notions weighed down by sheer ignorance comes the defining thought to many across the nation that we must get a particular person elected, at all cost. Some even go as far as to say that if this does not happen the consequences will be apocalyptic, with the entire fate of mankind hinging on our votes—not surprisingly, most such people would identify themselves with the Christian faith. Don’t get me wrong, it is right to support a candidate and you should vote, but how far is too far? Where do these ideas come from, how do they become so defining to these citizens, and what leads them to believe this complete antagonism between political parties? Many would say polarization and vitriolic rhetoric is the fundamental reason, but I would beg to differ, as they have got it backwards. The conflict-ridden atmosphere is in fact the result of what is happening around the country. My presence and interractions throughout D.C. have convinced me that Washington is indeed highly responsive to its voters and constitutes, a mirror of the electorate.

    Through all of the rhetoric and ideological prestidigitation one can find on Capitol Hill, I managed to identify a pattern very familiar to an Eastern European. The rise of ideologies in the 20th century revealed to the world what implications messianic thinking can have when secularized. Don’t get too excited, I am in no way going to succumb to a conspiracy theory on how the Antichrist is coming or going or returning, etc. In actuality I am trying to make a point by showing you how we blur the lines between religion and politics, resulting in a politicized religion—complete with its own saviors (for some it’s Glen Beck for others it is Pres. Obama) –a public realm that craves saviors. This becomes clear in any policy debate—one man has the answer (In recent budget debates it was Paul Ryan) but also on the ideational level the ‘silver-bullet’ oversimplification that we assign to all issues under the sun. Indeed, whether we like to admit it or not, the epistemological idea of what political scientists have called ‘immanentizing the eschaton’ is alive and well with us today, a token from an era dominated by ideological warfare. A highly revered Romanian Professor of Government at MDU writes: “Communism and Fascism, in their traditional incarnations, have failed. The same cannot be said about the psycho-ideational structures that made their rise possible.” (V. Tismaneanu On Anti-Americanism: The Resources And Persistence Of A Political Myth) It should be clear, if understood properly in its historical context, what the negative effects can be when succumbing to our own salvific temptations. The answer might lie in extensive politological analyses that I am not yet prepared to carry out, but I can say this: Engaging ‘the other’ will break down many myths assigned to the person otherwise vilified through media snippets.

     You might ask: What are you proposing, Robert? What is your silver-bullet, what should we advocate for now? In an attempt not to fall into this trap, I will conclude with thanking you for the intellectual effort in reading to the end, but also in quoting a greater thinker, Albert Einstein: “The World’s problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that has created them.”

-RB

Will work for food

What kind of work would I consider “worthwhile”?  This question actually turned out to be quite difficult.  I decided to list what I think is worthwhile in work from most to least importance.  This question was taken from material in my Internship class. 

    1. Accomplishment

I personally think Accomplishment is the most important component of a job.  I believe that a job that allows you to feel that sense of accomplishment keeps you motivated to take on the next challenge.  This made me to realize that I can never be an archivist.  A single collection can takes years to finish and there are constantly more coming in, creating an eternal to-do list that would drive the life out of me.  Since High School I have been working on several projects planting native trees and shrubs in a pasture in Kansas.  The massive cottonwood trees that once lined the creek bed have nearly died out, leaving the area devoid of any beauty (unless you can consider a fat cow beautiful).  It takes years of work before the trees are self-sufficient.  I have tasted the bitterness of setbacks; grasshoppers, deer, drought, but I have been motivated by all the little victories along the way.

    2.Self-actualization

Ever since I was a kid I have been drawn to things that allow me to be creative.  I started with Legos and Lincoln Logs and later took a liking to drawing and writing.  I believe a job that stifles creativity puts a roadblock in the employee’s brain.  A sense of value is replaced with emptiness as we perform robotic tasks in a robotic way.  I love work that allows me to put my signature on it, so to speak.  When we lose the opportunity to be creative at work we tend to start glancing at the clock more and work becomes, well, work; boring, lifeless, endless, mindless work. 

Asking Questions Through Life

Question: The five W’s and an H. Yes or no. The way to succeed in Jeopardy.

Answer: What is a question?

From how are you? to can we fix poverty? to how much does this cost? Embedded in everyday communication, questions are integral to human interactions. Every aspect of my semester encourages me to continue to engage in this interactive learning process.

For example, I am required to attend class armed with a thought-provoking question to explore the current topics and class discussions. Well-framed and probing questions drive topic exploration and the learning process. While the answers or solutions are not always found, we certainly have responses as we work towards an answer.

Learning Skills and Greater Flexibility!

    Learning to be flexible, and learning to increase in one’s skills, is something that I am working at accomplishing while being at my internship, and beyond. The following discuss some areas of my growth, both in the area of being sharpened in my skills, and second, in the area of becoming flexible.

    In life, many opportunities, as well as many trials or disturbances, disrupt life. What does this mean for me, as a student worker? What does this mean for my life? Am I simply to ignore the stressful onslaught of change, or become flexible? For some time, I have been learning to become more flexible, even though it is often very hard to honor. What this means is that, I, as a learning human being, must be willing to adjust my life with change. Within my internship, I am learning to be flexible with the change that comes daily, as various events and necessities must become priority. Learning to be flexible is not simply a thing to be mastered at the internship; it must be applied to life in general.

External and Internal Advice

This past semester has literally been life-changing. I have received so much advice that my mind can barely contain all of it. The disparity between the amount of information I know now and the amount I knew before the semester began is astonishing. This can be attributed to both my internship and to those that have come and shared their stories and experiences at ASP. My faith in humanity is always boosted a little when I see someone willing to invest in others. Luckily we have been on the receiving side of that investment this semester.

My supervisor at _______ has required the interns to conduct career exploration talks with fellow staff members and other persons of interest. I am even allowed to leave work to have a meeting with someone externally. The advice that I have been given has been so practical and beneficial that I can only call it “life-changing.” I use the phrase, “life-changing,” in a more practical sense, rather than in an abstract sense. While I appreciate my fair share of theory and abstract concepts (such as the topics in Leadership and Vocation), when it comes to career, my general calling has already been determined. I really needed hard, practical advice, and I have received it. Through the various career explorations it has been affirmed that I will almost certainly need some kind of international experience. Those that I met with have really given me a better perspective into the development world. I also learned a wealth of information from the Share-Your-Mentor night and the various panels of experienced professionals. One common recommendation was to hold off on grad school until a clear passion or career preference showed itself. Many recommended some kind of program like the Peace Corps for international experience and personal exploration. The value of real work experience was also reinforced. The combination of these three gives me a basic road map for the future.

Holding Hands to Cross the Street

Do you remember holding hands to cross the street? You would have been around three or four years old and your mom or dad would stop you at the corner and say “Now we are going to hold hands crossing the road”. Why? I mean, it’s not like their holding your hand would have kept you safe if some car came whipping around the corner, it’s not that they were more afraid you’d trip and fall on the asphalt than on the sidewalk, so why? I asked a mom this and her response was that when they stopped and held hands it was a reinforcement of the idea that the street was a dangerous place and that it should not be attempted by her four year old son alone.

Always up for a good metaphor, I have been thinking about all the crosswalks in DC. The reason for crosswalks is that they are directions, directions on how not to get hit by cars, trucks, metro buses, or crazed bicycle riders with ties flapping in the wind. The little white man blinks reassuringly, ‘If you cross now, you won’t get smooshed like a frog on the I-90’. It is important to follow directions, especially when it involves physical peril from motor vehicles.

In highschool we are also encouraged to follow directions, get to school at this time, when a bell rings go to this class, the paper is to be this long, in that font, with those citations… Even in college, when we are beginning to see the bright and shining light of adulthood at the end of the tunnel of teenageism, we are still required to live in certain places, follow communal rules, go to class, and complete assignments to the specifications of the all knowing syllabus.

Career (and Other) Ponderings

One of the greatest questions in life is this: What should I do with it? The answer to this question is not easily found. I have been looking for it since I was a freshman in high school when I realized that, no, I will not become an NBA superstar. Though it is funny to reflect on compliments given from sweet teachers and friends that didn’t know any better such as, “Ryan, remember us when your famous one day,” and, “You gotta go help those Lakers out!” But reality always sets in, doesn’t it? Sometimes dreams are not possible. Or maybe the dream was not worth dreaming in the first place. Digressing, that high school reality check sparked a genuine soul-searching to find the ever-evasive personal “calling” in life. Having no clue as to what I wanted to do other than play basketball, I was at quite a loss. How do people even determine what to do with their lives?

Fortunately, I have one part of that nailed down. I know that I want to spend the rest of my life helping people. Yes, the always cliché, world peace bit. But in my mind and as Steve Garber says, knowing begets responsibility. With so much suffering and injustice in the world how can I not devote my life to alleviate it? It seems like it’s not even a choice. Yet it seems that most of the people in the world have made the choice to not care or act. This is most distressing to me. On a more encouraging note, this city is a place where a lot of people do care. This is where I feel I need to be, at least for the time being.

Just as easy it is for me to decide that I want to help people, it is just as hard to determine what that means vocationally. I guess my interest would fall under the broad category of global development and humanitarianism. That is the primary reason for my presence here at ASP in the Global Humanitarian Enterprise track. To try and understand where I fit in. I am very blessed to have the internship that I have. I hope that it will help me narrow down the vocational side of my purpose in life.

To elaborate on this city, it is amazing. I could spend away pages on its beautiful architecture, cultured historical atmosphere, and serene natural landscape. But what is most intriguing to me is the drive of the people here. This is where stuff gets done. This is where ambitions are flexed and dreams are realized. This is where the big boys and girls play. It is a bit intimidating until one actually speaks with them and realizes that they are normal people just like you and me. They are just more experienced and confident. Someday we will be doing our own thing; we’ll look at the intern walking in to work on their first day and remember when that was us. We will wonder why we ever doubted ourselves.

Thank you for reading my blog post. :)

Feet on the Ground, but With My Chin Up

    In the months leading up to my semester in Washington DC, whenever I told someone where I was interning they would give multiple reactions.  Either they would be impressed as if that was the last thing they expected to hear (but give me a pessimistic look as if I’m a grown kid who still wants to be an astronaut), or they are mystified in the way people are when trying to connect reality to what they only hear about in movies.  These constant reactions inevitably conditioned me to expect a lot from the internship along with them, building both excitement and anxiety towards that first day.

    I walked into the building and waited in line at the security desk, only to learn that I needed to call up at their office so they could come down and escort me up.  I was greeted by a kind African American lady who got me and the other intern that came in that day pointed in the right direction.  We then met a few others who would help us along the way, and we spent the rest of the morning with a tour of the three floors of the office building we would be working throughout and describing duties we would be fulfilling.  Sorting, filing, copying, scanning, keeping the refrigerators stocked with water and soda, and delivering envelopes between the office and headquarters.  All of this in a typical office building with little of the intimidating technology and monitors that one might anticipate.  Romantic images of something that would wow my peers were reconciled with the reality of administrative duties.

    My first full day saw my perspective find a happy medium.  While monotonous, the task I was assisting in was a physical accomplishment of a goal that had a real constructive purpose with direct applicability, and with that came a sense of purpose far more rewarding than that from layers of policy speculation.  All the while, one of the best people on the subject was informing us about all there was to know, I wanted to absorb it all.  This first full day built a strong bridge for me between the grand scope of purpose and mission of the organization I wish to be a part of and the work I will be doing.  This made me realize that God works gradually and in small ways.  The bits of knowledge I will gradually learn will accumulate, the jobs I do will require more and more responsibility, and the relationships and connections I make will create doors through which God may or may not lead me.  How will I serve?  Through whom will I serve God?  Here, I would serve God through serving both very specific individuals and through that the entire nation.  I have not a clue where God is leading me, but wherever that is, I am going to walk towards it with all the fervor and effort my soul can muster.  The story of how we get there is where we truly become closer to God, and that is what this is all about.

 - JBC

A Self-Made Tour

A Self-Made Tour!

On August 29, 2010, I set out with great anxiety to go walking around in order to see and experience the pleasure of visiting various sites, including the White House. My ambition took me through various streets that became a self-made tour to the District of Columbia. I went with determination, and did not have to ask for another’s company—and all because I was on a mission. I walked with freedom and prayerful conversations to my Lord. When I finally viewed the Supreme Court building: the architecture, the material and vast size of how each particular pillar stood solid for many un-moveable years. The wow factor had begun its work on my inward person. I also recalled the Court cases that had taken place in that very building, which my Class had studied; again, Wow!

As I traveled down to Constitution Avenue, and with great excitement, I took pictures and viewed with amazement the Capital building. Then, I continued down Pennsylvania Avenue, I suddenly became aware of just how my preconceived view of Washington DC was becoming alive and real to me as the various buildings were standing all around me. I walked for some great time, about an hour, until I finally arrived at the lawn facing the White House. When I got there, I had to wait with others outside of the viewing area for maybe ten or more minutes before I could actually view the building. As more and more people were slowly arriving. I was not completely certain what was happening, and I suspect that the newly arrived people were just confused. While trying to look around, and being yet interested in what the Washington Memorial was about, there were fire trucks and emergency service vehicles being stationed to various locations around the areas. I began to hear something concerning the president and maybe his family—that they were all flying in on helicopters. Suddenly, out from the near sky, the people that were still waiting there began to prepare their cameras and video cameras as three helicopters began to quickly approach! Pictures were being taken, faces were tracing the sky, and voices were expressing great excitement. Even if these people were not fans of the Obama Administration, just the excitement alone was enough to unite us all. After the helicopter that carried the president (and maybe his family) had departed, we were finally allowed to view the White House. I finally made my way to the viewing point, that I might experience the long expected moment—looking, and making rational brain expressions (in contrast to facial expressions), and taking low quality phone pictures, only to shortly leave back toward home before it was completely dark; especially since darkness had begun to settle on DC. Later, after I had been back for some time, I learned that I would get the opportunity to visit the Washington Memorial, and this time, I would have my real camera.

- JCE 

 
 Photography by: JCE

A view from the Washington Monument.

"Repeat: Inernships are valuable, internships are valuable..."

Lately it seems that my routine in D.C. has become fairly monotonous.  Around 7 a.m. my alarm goes off several times before I finally wake up and drag myself out of bed to meet the day.  After showering and getting ready for work, I always have to make a mad dash to Union Station and then on to my internship.  Earlier in the semester, I would almost skip to work as I excitedly looked forward to another day in the office.  Now, after over a month at my internship, I count each agonizing step I take to get to metro and I don’t even attempt to run to catch the metro like a normal "Washingtonian" anymore.  I have found that it is very difficult for me to become motivated to do anything this semester. 

In the beginning, I really did have a genuine optimism about my internship, boss, coworkers, etc.  Sadly I am less than enthusiastic about my daily work routine.  I feel that this lack of motivation comes in part to this semester being too much of a challenge in some ways and not enough of one in other ways. My supervisor warned me that my internship would not be too glamorous and would involve a lot of simple tasks like making copies and completing data entry on Excel.  Even though I understood this knowledge from the very beginning of my semester in D.C., it is all much harder to swallow now that I live at the copy machine and complete data entry in my dreams (or nightmares?) each evening. 

For the past month, I have been completing the same basic two or three tasks. The worst part to all of this is that I have an extremely low attention span and I hate doing the same action for too long.  I do feel that my boss understands and recognizes the complete and utter tedious nature of my day-to-day tasks at work.  In fact, my supervisor stuck a post-it note saying “Repeat after me: Internships are valuable, internships are valuable...” on a gigantic stack of assignments he had given me.  However, this does not take away from the fact that sitting at my desk all day long is beginning to feel like torture.