I've been very interested lately in the concept of effort vs return, from many different aspects.
Last night I was thinking again how deer and turkeys and other wildlife
will sometimes sit and starve / freeze to death within sight of food
because they are too exhausted to fight through the snow to get to it.
Of course back when I first learned that, it was via "scientific"
articles that would not dream of suggesting a psycho-emotional factor. But I am quite sure I know exactly how those deer and turkeys feel.
Recently I've been pondering a new angle on the basic premise - job
hunting. With the internet making every upper level job search national
and even international, and the economy being what it is, the chances of
getting any particular job is now about the same as winning Powerball.
(Okay, tiny exaggeration but not much.) Back in late summer I applied
for a Farm & Food Policy Analyst position with Cornucopia Institute
for which I am well qualified. They were supposed to make a decision in
September I believe. I just got a letter about a week ago. They had
over 500 applicants, including PhDs and MDs. The job went to a PhD.
Frankly I was impressed that they sent the letter and even offered a
free membership... most employers don't even bother to send anything any
more.
So, yes, the amount of time & energy expended on job
hunting and sending resumes is no longer worth the return - or lack
thereof.
I suppose "hopelessness" is maybe another word for it.
I'm concerned about someone I know, back in New England, because she is
about at that point of hopelessness - feeling like almost any energy
expended to help herself will provide too little return to be worth it.
Sucks. She is surrounded by an entire community, town, full of people
and still in this predicament. Starving within sight of food because
she is too exhausted to struggle through the snow to get it. WTF is
wrong with our culture?
Oh, a few people have offered to help
her, in the sense of temporary shelter or a little financial assistance.
But they are few, and while those offers are priceless lifelines and
those people are to be cherished, still, it does not solve the root of
the problem. That is the job of a community and communities everywhere
are failing miserably at it.
She told me today that it is not
my responsibility to worry about or help her. I told her it's EVERYONE'S
responsibility to worry about and help other living beings on the
planet -- help each other. That's all that matters in the end. Why else
are we here?
