WORK IN PROGRESS
(Life, Me, You, This Newsletter) Vol. V, Issue 21, November 2, 2001

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A longer and slightly later issue than usual, and perhaps
aimed more at my US readers than usual... I have no
intention of letting this set a precedent, but it seems I
have a lot to say this time around.

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THANKS,

to the many readers who have sent me condolences,
good thoughts, prayers, and other messages to help heal
my heart after the loss of my mother. I should say that
she had reached a very ripe and rich old age, and had
often stated that she was ready to go as soon as her
time would come, so the mourning is not for her, but for
the loss that my brother and I, and her grandchildren,
feel.

For myself, I know that the kind and thoughtful messages
I have received from so many people have been a
tremendous help. I will eventually respond to each one
in person, but, in the meantime, please accept my
thanks.

Diana

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WHAT CAN WE DO?

A different take on how we can make the world a better
place?

I have never before known myself become tearful when
reading a catalog. Yesterday, it happened, because
what I was reading seemed like at least a partial answer
to that question.

What can we do? That question has been asked
repeatedly since September 11. There are many
obvious needs, and wonderful work has been done in
fund-raising, in offering time and muscle as well as cash
to help those affected by the attacks in the USA.

Yet the question goes deeper. The attacks triggered an
awareness and a concern about people in so-called
"Third World" countries who cannot help but envy (and
envy can too easily lead to hatred) those who take for
granted a lifestyle that others dare not even dream of.
Most of my readers, wherever in fifty countries around
the globe they live, probably come into the category of
the "haves" simply because you have access to a
computer and the internet. However, though things may
be tough for people today (and things can be pretty bad,
we know that), we also know that there are those out
there who have it tougher.

There is an oft-repeated saying, "Give them a fish and
you feed them for a day, teach them to fish, and you feed
them for life." I would add a third phrase, "Equip them to
develop a fish farm and you feed an entire village."
Though the words are mine, this the principle on which
the folks at Heifer International work. Starting over half a
century ago with cows (hence the word heifer, which
means a young female cow), and subsequently
expanding to a menagerie of animals suited to many
countries, climates, and economies, here is how they
work. They find a needy recipient family in a needy
community. They train the family to house, feed, and
look after whatever species the family will receive. If
appropriate hey ensure that somewhere in the
community is a healthy breeding male of the species.
They obtain a commitment from the family that the
firstborn animal will be donated to a similarly needy
family and that the giving chain will continue. Then, and
only then, do they donate the animal, or group of animals
- either females or breeding pairs depending on
circumstances.

When the animal has been bred, usually the family will
use some of the milk for the newborn animal offspring,
some to improve their own nutrition, and some to sell. If
there are multiple offspring they may well them. They
are educated as to how to use this extra income wisely,
often to enable a child to go to school who might
otherwise not be able to.

From cows, the organization has now expanded to goats,
water-buffalo, lamas, pigs, sheep, bees, chickens,
rabbits, and more. Perhaps it was the chickens and
rabbits that touched me so, for my early childhood was in
British World War II rationing, which was at time so strict
that had we not raised chickens and rabbits for food we
might well have gone without. Perhaps it was the
simplicity and elegance of the organization's concept.
Having been in existence for half a century it is not new.
Yet, somehow, today it has renewed relevance. The
"haves" can no longer claim that there is nothing they
can do to directly impact Third World communities, that if
they donate money it may well be way-laid by corrupt
administration. In this system there is over-sight of the
program, and the animals are sent to locations that have
been prepared for them, and where they will reach their
destinations.

So please, check out www.heifer.org. If you want to
know more, ask for their catalog. Perhaps there are a
few folks, those you know who "have everything" and
who don't need another necktie or high-tech do-dad as a
holiday gift, in whose name you might want to donate a
lama, or part of a lama, this year. Because yes, if a
whole animal is more than you can afford, you can still
donate a part... down to a paltry $10.00.

This is one way that you really CAN help!

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THINGS HAVE CHANGED...

Yet... have they? Yes, since September 11 most of
WIP's readers have a greater awareness of life's
uncertainties... but life has always been uncertain.

For centuries most religions and sources of wisdom have
suggested that we would do well to live each day as if it
were our last, and one of the reasons for this is that it
could be. Intellectually, we have always known that the
next time we leave our homes could be the last time.
That the next time we bid our loved ones goodbye may
be the last time we see them. No one is immune from
the vagaries of fortune: an unexpected bolt of lightening,
the suddenly failed brakes of the vehicle behind us, the
freak failure of a wall or a bridge.

In my community some months ago a man minding his
own business on a sidewalk was hit by a car that jumped
the curb because its driver had an epileptic seizure.
Someone else on a freeway was killed by a random
bullet shot by a man who was target shooting some
distance away. Random death has always been with us,
but we were able to shrug our shoulders, point to the
odds of it happening to us, and go on our way. So long
as we stayed out of the "dangerous places," we thought
we would be safe. The one in many millions chance that
so many people believe WILL apply to them when they
play the lottery, they also believe will NOT apply to them
when death is throwing the dice.

In truth, although the statistics may have changed, they
have not changed greatly.

The fact is that, as I write this (November 2, 2001), 52
days later, 13 people have so far been diagnosed with
anthrax, four have died of it. Yet, partly due to extensive
media coverage, the disease is deeply affecting the
country's morale.

Looking through the annual statistics for traffic accidents
in the USA, it is likely that in that same time, there have
been somewhere around 721 heavy truck-related deaths,
288 motorcycles-related deaths, 1,730 speed-related
deaths, and 2,163 alcohol-related traffic deaths. That
total comes to somewhere around 4,900 people killed.
People died who had no idea that they would not be
coming home that evening. People who, in many cases,
were simply and randomly in the wrong place at the
wrong time. (By the way... 4,900 deaths... does that
sound somewhere approximately a familiar number?)

Are we terrified to go out in our cars because of these
numbers? Are we canceling our trips to the grocery or
the mall? Perhaps for a few days we did, but for the
most part we are not, because our awareness of those
numbers is not new. We read about them with such
terrifying regularity that we are no longer terrified. We
think that we know the odds and can behave accordingly.
Of course, we do not, and we cannot. That is the nature
of randomness.

What has changed since September 15 is our new
awareness, and two truly scary feelings. One is that
someone hates us because of who we are, where we
live--a feeling that many people, in many countries, have
lived with--and died with--for generations.

The other is that, as one friend put it,

"The danger is coming from new directions... it isn't the
odds, it's the unexpectedness of it."

Yes, perhaps it is... yet the directions have always been
unknown, unpredictable. A 19th century proverb states
"It is the unforeseen that always happens." The
difference now is that we REALIZE it. Now we EXPECT
the unexpected, we know that it is there. Now we, in the
USA and perhaps in other countries, are aware that
death walks the same streets that we walk, that
randomness really IS random. We have realized, at last,
what has always been true--that each of us is a part of
the target population of the randomness of events. It has
always been thus, but we chose not to think about it, and
we do not like the fact that now, if we are to face facts,
we have to think about it.

Which brings the question, if probabilities are not so
different, but it is our awareness that has changed, what
do we wisely do differently, and what is just knee-jerk
reaction that might make us FEEL as if we are doing
something, but in fact changes nothing.

Undoubtedly, in light of the horrors of New York and
Washington things need to change. Undoubtedly there
are security issues, airline issues, government issues to
be attended to. There are families who have loved ones
now on active service who had hoped never to see such
a thing. All of this I understand, and I weep for the
losses. Undoubtedly people are being laid off in greater
numbers than in many years, and this will bring financial
and emotional devastation to many. I am not trying to
make light of any of these terrible consequences of the
September 11 horror. But in the way we face the world
in our everyday, day-to-day lives, let us recognize that
what has changed more than anything is our own
awareness. There were facts that existed before the
events, but we did not know of them. Now we do. We
do not like them, and we do not like knowing of them.
But we cannot go back, and they are reality.

I am not suggesting that we do nothing differently.
Depending on where we live, who we are, undoubtedly
there are things that we need to do to take care of
ourselves and our loved ones. Clearly we should take
whatever precautions seem wise. Come to think of it,
washing our hands after handling mail seems a fairly
commonsensical thing, probably as obvious as washing
them after handling money--long proven to carry many
contagious (though less terrifying than anthrax) bacteria.

Undoubtedly, also, we need to face the various things
that need to be done in case our own personal, and
perhaps random, number does come up. But then, out of
consideration for our survivors, we should have been
doing that long ago. (Next month I'll include a Top Ten
list that I've written on that topic.)

But let us take action that is based on whatever is
advised by responsible authorities--not by the
rumor-mongers and promulgators of fear, for then the
terrorists win. Terrorism exists to strike terror into our
hearts. If we succumb to terror, terrorists win.

What I am suggesting is that we not let the fear destroy
our ability to enjoy our lives. It is not what we DO, but
how we THINK, FEEL, and LOVE that needs to be...
perhaps not unchanged, but perhaps even enhanced.
For if we are more aware that life can be fleeting, then
should we not cherish it, enhance it, make the most of it,
and of our loved ones while we can.

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RECOMMENDED READING

"FREEING THE SOUL FROM FEAR" by Robert Sardello

'Robert Sardello is considered a leading philosopher on
the soul, having inspired both Thomas Moore's and
James Hillman's writings. Once again he departs from
common spiritual assumptions in this intelligent and
smoothly written handbook, Freeing the Soul from Fear.
One of the more popular attitudes toward the soul is that
it's a permanent element of the human being, Sardello
explains. As a result, current spiritual guidance often
discusses how to reconnect with our impermeable souls
through meditation, honoring suffering, and returning to a
sense of enchantment.'

'As important as this reconnection is, Sardello believes
that it does not go far enough. Rather, we should
recognize the soul as a vulnerable entity and commit to
strengthening its core. And what weakens a soul the
most? Fear. Fundamentally, it contracts the soul's ability
to love. And above all else, love comes from the
soul--"an experience through which another person, or a
spiritual being, or God lives within us," Sardello
explains.'

For more information, check out:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN%3D1573228338/personalandcareeA/002-8534146-380480

(And thanks to my friend and fellow-coach Todd Plank for bringing this book to my attention.)

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Copyright 2001 Diana Robinson, Ph.D. Work in
Progress may be reproduced in its entirety only,
including this copyright line. Disclaimer -The contents
herein are solely the opinions of Work in Progress
owner, and should not be considered as a form of
therapy nor advice. There is no guarantee of validity or
accuracy. If expert assistance or counseling is needed,
services of a competent professional should be sought.

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