Have You Given Hope Today?

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?