Realising a sense of responsibility to act
It’s been around a whole forty-eight hours since the MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY road trip (8th – 15th May) concluded with our arrival back to Melbourne. I had originally intended to write every evening as the trip progressed, but it didn’t happen because we were just so busy and any free time I might have spent writing was spent in much needed sleep.
I did, however, get time to do some writing – and that’s what I’d like to highlight:
Monday May 10th – Colac, Victoria
It’s now the early hours of the third day of the road trip and, while everyone’s asleep, I’ve awoken early. It’s time to talk about the trip, and perhaps also on our progress as a movement to change the world by making poverty history. I’d like to begin with the lead-up to the launch morning.
On Friday, the day before we began, I recieved a finalising e-mail from my group leader – Amy – to question which of us might like to play a celebrity as part of our flashdance in city square to Lady Gaga’s ‘Paparazzi’. I decided to oblige, with the suggestion that I’d wear makeup and dye my hair purple. This was among packing and creating a sense of personally being ready for the trip.
All this organisation for the trip, which I successfully got done in time, was among needing to (on late Friday night) travel to Stawell to collect one of my best friend’s from the end of his nursing placement.
After arriving there quite late (past 10pm) we both then continued to Melbourne, where I’d booked us a moderate hotel to stay in for the night – which we checked in at around 2am after driving around residential central Melbourne to find a free spot to park my car for the week (here’s hoping it doesn’t get broken into, towed or anything of the like).
Upon arriving at our hotel I had my friend dye my hair for me, and while it was developing in my hair I found a few random tasks to do – while my friend went to sleep – and started thinking about the beginning of the road trip.
I don’t recall having doubts in the trip so much as I might have experienced a sense of, perhaps, not being up to the task. I suppose I questioned whether I was strong enough to be a successful ambassador for MAKEPOVERTYHISTORY and by association the poorest of poor in this world.
The tags ambassadors wore throughout the week. Little things like this cemented a sense of responsibility to act, for me.
All of that thinking and that slight slip in allowing my own sense of doubt to overcome me was in many ways emotionally crushing. By the time I did get in to bed I was really quite upset, to the point of waking up my friend – and it was his conversation which made me realise just how priveliged I am to be doing what I’m doing for other Australian’s, for myself and for the entire planet.
I am one of a small number of dedicated people who has recognised that the capacity to end extreme poverty exists and who has likewise answered the call to do something about it.
Especially recently, I have realised just how priveliged I am to have what I have been given in life. Just to be born into a rich country, just to have caring individuals surrounding me – just to have the power to control my own destiny. That’s also frightening, because with those priveliges I really cannot see how responsibilty to use them appropriately can be ignored.
It is with realisations like this that I can only be positive about the work that I am engaging Australia in, alongside other dedicated young people – it’s truly energizing just thinking about it. Likewise, for the trip itself, even from it’s very beginning…
You might have figured by now that by the time I was asleep, it was quite late. I recall it being around 4am. Obviously, I only got about 5 hours sleep – certainly better than nothing. However, not enough to make waking up for an early flashdance easy.
What stands out to me more than anything is that my sense of responsiblity didn’t begin or end with this campaign, it’s just that finally doing something about my socail concern has really reinforced it and inspired me to do even more. It’s kind of cliche, but really, the campaign has only just begun.
If you’re wondering, yes, I will be following up with a reflection on the week as a whole. It’s just that I want to condense it somewhat into a readable form, and that takes time.