There is certainly benefit in remembering where we are successful and
why what we do matters. But, IMO, that can also be a trap. No, we
cannot fix everything, nor can we undo what has already been done. Of
course, we can only address what is happening at the present moment,
but I believe that anything can change in a moment--think about the
100th monkey--there just needs to be enough conscious people to change
a paradigm. There is a parable that I'm sure most of us have heard, but
the version below illuminates quite well why I think it matters that we
stop the babies from showing up in our offices brutalized and
traumatized and their mothers depressed, unattached and disempowered.
Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
The "Parable of the River"
Once upon a time there was a small village on the edge of a river. The
people there were good and life in the village was good. One day a
villager noticed a baby floating down the river. The villager quickly
swam out to save the baby from drowning. The next day this same
villager noticed two babies in the river. He called for help, and both
babies were rescued from the swift waters. And the following day four
babies were seen caught in the turbulent current. And then eight,
then more, and still more!
The villagers organized themselves quickly, setting up watchtowers and
training teams of swimmers who could resist the swift waters and rescue
babies. Rescue squads were soon working 24 hours a day. And each day
the number of helpless babies floating down the river increased. The
villagers organized themselves efficiently. The rescue squads were now
snatching many children each day. While not all the babies, now very
numerous, could be saved, the villagers felt they were doing well to
save as many as they could each day. Indeed, the village priest
blessed them in their good work. And life in the village continued on
that basis.
One day, however, someone raised the question, "But where are all these
babies coming from? Let's organize a team to head upstream to find-out
who's throwing all of these babies into the river in the first place!"
The seeming logic of the community elders countered: "And if we go
upstream who will operate the rescue operations? We need every
concerned person here!"
"But don't you see," cried the one lone voice," if we find out who is
throwing them in, we can stop the problem and no babies will drown! By
going upstream we can eliminate the cause of the problem!" "It is
too risky," said the village elders. And so the numbers of babies
found floating in the river increase daily. Those saved increase, but
those who drown increase even more.
Clearly, we need to do our part in rescuing those babies found floating
down the river. But we also need to take the risk of raising our
voices and asking why they're being thrown into the river and what we
can do about it!
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