Camille Smith

EXPL 390

Andrew Miller

24 January 2018

Initial Reflection

Part I

This semester, in order to further challenge myself personally and professionally,

I want to actively seek out more. By this, I mean I want to go above and beyond what is

expected from me in some way every week. I want to ask for new projects rather than

waiting to be assigned them. I think that doing this will not only make me a better

worker, but also help me to do more work that I enjoy. By asking for projects, I can have

more input in their development, and possibly even come up with project ideas myself. I

eliminate any control over my work by simply receiving tasks rather than working

collaboratively to create them, and am much more likely to dislike my work and produce

poorer results. I know my supervisors would be happy to have my input, and my fresh

perspective could help out the small and always overwhelmed Government Relations

department.

Also, as an intern I have more flexibility to give insight on what works well and

what does not, with time to test out new methods of doing things. This would definitely

aid my supervisors who are always complaining that the way things are done is too

inefficient or disorganized. If more people at Catholic Charities had this kind of

flexibility and drive to try new solutions, a lot of frustration could be eliminated, leaving

more time for more important work. I really resonated with the “Knowing is Not
Enough: A Case Study” that we read both at the retreat and for this week because I am

often frustrated with the inefficiency of systems, our fast-paced, high pressure culture,

and lack of direct accountability in institutions. After rereading it, I was reminded of how

easy it is to let these frustrations preoccupy me from my work and the actual mission I’m

serving. Rather than just learning to deal or live with these frustrations from now on, I

want to challenge myself to come up with solutions that redirect my time, work, and

energy to the people who need it.

Continuing on this theme of actively seeking out more, I also want to delve

further into the details and background of my projects, especially the ones that pique my

interest, even if it is not required of me. Though I could easily help write a grant based on

the information Catholic Charities already provides for me, I think I could benefit more

from doing additional research on the issue Catholic Charities is working for. For

example, last semester, after being asked to help write a grant that would allow Catholic

Charities provide services for recovering opioid addicts, I realized that I was pretty

personally uninformed on the subject. Though I knew I could borrow wording from

similar past grant narratives, I took the time to read several articles I found online about

opioid addiction in the Chicagoland area. I was able to humanize the issue by reading the

stories of people affected by opioid addiction, what their needs are, and how the system

fails them. I realized that this not only made writing the grant easier, but I also enjoyed

spending my work time learning about an important issue. From now on, especially with

grants, I want to take time to do extra background research, even if it’s not necessary. I

want to put the issues I’m writing for in a tangible perspective, which will ultimately

make the quality of the grant narratives and services Catholic Charities has the potential
to provide even better. By delving into the details of issues I am less familiar with, I will

be better equipped to address and understand a wider array of social issues in the future.

Lastly, I want to actively develop my connections in the office. Now that I feel

much more comfortable around my supervisors, I want to challenge myself to talk to

them more about their work and ask them about their perspectives. I not only want their

insight on their work and the challenges to working in social justice, but I also would like

to better understand their personal missions and passions that guide their careers. I came

to the realization that I was missing this after we did our one-on-one interviews in class,

and I realized how easy it was to learn valuable things from others just by talking to them

about their interests and talents. I want to feel more a part of the team both in

Government Relations and at Catholic Charities in general. I have been shy around the

office, especially with people in departments that I do not know, and feel bad that most

people do not know who I am. I am going to push myself to start up more conversations,

and even just smile and say hi more while walking through the hallways. I think this will

help me feel less like an intern and more like a coworker in the office, and foster a

general better sense of the community in the office.

Part II

A good society to me is a society that values quality of human life for all. As

Loeb states, there is no “formula for solving all our planetary ills” (257). Given this, there

is a still certainly a better way to organize our society to eliminate as many of these ills as

possible. This means providing access to healthcare, education, food, and housing for all.

The means exist to do so—there are more homes than homeless and more wasted meals

than hungry people in this country. From a humanist perspective, it makes no utter sense
why we shouldn’t redistribute goods equally. Redistributing money from the rich does

not infringe on personal rights, but denying people the agency and access to the means

they need to live is a violent infringement. My argument boils down to this: will rich

people die from higher taxes? No. Do poor people die because they aren’t paid living

wages? Every day.

Social justice in a community should be a collaborative, democratic, and

benevolent endeavor. It should also be a restorative endeavor. For me, this means

uplifting everyone, but in order to do so, special attention needs to be given to those who

have not been as uplifted in the past. While the ultimate goal of society is equality,

special attention needs to be given to marginalized groups, such as people of color,

women, LGBT people, disabled people, the poor, and oppressed religious minorities.

Everyone should have equal say in our systems and structures.

All people should be encouraged and supported to use their talents and passions

for the common good. The problem with our current system is that people are not as

easily motivated by communal good, as profit is necessary under capitalism to survive.

Thus, capitalism ultimately negates what serves the common good if a more “profitable”

choice exists. To go on even further, profitability is defined by potential monetary gain

for an individual or small group, rather than potential improvement to quality of life in a

society. We need to reframe motivation in our culture to be more community-based and

geared towards long-term milestones rather than personal and short-term gains.

I really stand by Loeb’s point that “Whatever our situation, we’ll realize neither

our individual selves if we’re completely consumed by our work” (260). Capitalism

drains it workers, by necessitating fierce competition, low wages, and long working hours
to maximize monetary gains for those at the top. Thus, the most marginalized of people

in our society have the least amount of time to devote to personal, emotional, spiritual,

and social development. Our structures should recognize this need, guaranteeing people

jobs that pay enough to support people to spend time off. This directly improves quality

of life and attention and energy that can be given to work later.

I want to promote and embrace all of these values of social justice and equality in

my work in my work, whether that’s directly working and advocating for social justice,

or challenging my peers, coworkers, friends, and family to think differently about their

values. I see my role as someone who engages with others, both on a personal and

professional scale to develop more just and equitable solutions for all. I think I have an

eye for being able to see where systems and structures fall short and coming up with why

and how to fix it. I want to endlessly critique and find the shortcomings in our state of

affairs, not because I’m pessimistic, but I am in fact optimistic for change. I also

recognize that it should not be me doing this alone because my perspective is limited. I

think above all, the proper approach to identifying and ameliorating what’s gone wrong

in our broken system requires a fostered sense of community and communal commitment

to education and activism.

 Works Cited

Loeb, Paul Rogat. “Pieces of a Vision.” Soul of a Citizen: Living with Conviction in

Challenging Times, St. Martin's Griffin, 2010, pp. 257–286.

Palmer, Parker. “A New Professional: The Aims of Education Revisited.” Change: the

Magazine of Higher Learning, 2007.