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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