“Us” Versus “Them”
Could it ever be possible for us to put our egos in the background?
Community work is a line of work which must be treaded carefully. If our egos are not kept in check, it would simply defeat the entire purpose of community work. Yet, most of us falter at the very first step, creating this unnecessary label of “us” versus “them.” When one takes in another community in such a way, unknowingly, everything will begin to fall apart.
Having this segregation of “us” and “them,” even if it may be a passing thought in our minds, is something we should consciously try to eliminate. What good could we possibly bring if we continually refer to them as rural, backwards, unhygienic, desperate – people who are in dire need of our help? Who are we to even create this division, putting them under our feet, insisting that they are nothing and will continue to remain nothing unless we, from above, stoop down to help them?
Often, when one gains a certain knowledge in a certain field, the person would transform into an unrecognizable egoistical creature. Sure, all of us have our own egos buried deep within ourselves, but at the same time, we should strive as much as possible to not let our egos overcome us, lest it leads to a flawed perception of being above everyone else, simply from the so called ‘qualification’ we have gained. We should remind ourselves that wherever we go, we should continue to stay humble, rather than prescribing things to the people and shoving things down their throat. At the end of the day, the lens that we view the world would always be different from theirs, no matter how much we try to gain their trust, no matter how long we spend in their community, no matter how many books we have read about them.
Every single time I see myself involved in various community works, the constant characterization of “us” versus “them” makes me sick to the stomach. They are our fellow brothers and sisters, fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, and they deserve the same amount of respect and not to be looked down on. When all is said and done, could we sit down for a moment and reassure ourselves that whatever we have done has, in some manner, improved their lives? Who stands to gain the most from whatever that we are doing? Are we doing this for us, or selflessly for others?
Over the course of this project, I have struggled with various dilemmas, on one hand I try to believe as much as possible that whatever I am doing is solely for the community, getting involved as much as possible with the locals even though it may still be on a very superficial level. On the other hand, the things that we do seem to be invading their lives, causing inconvenience to them and being nothing but a nuisance. On the one hand, we have convinced ourselves so much about respecting the community, but on the other hand, here we are blatantly and outrightly disrespecting them, all in the name of “documenting heritage,” which might be lost one day, self-proclaiming ourselves as the saviour of heritage. Ironic, is it not? But see at how we have bombarded their homes in numbers, and the many times we have been chased out speaks for itself. But what’s done is done, and it’s imperative that we learn from our mistakes.
As the days go by, I wonder, will anything ever change, for it seems that whatever we are doing is only for ourselves. For the next two weeks that I will be in Bangkok attending an international field school, I surely hope that things could be different. As much as I believe that I can help, I have to first reflect on myself, for there are far more things which I could gain from them.
Don’t let ourselves be blinded by our egos and arrogance. Stay humble, we are all one big family. No one is above the other, and we have much to learn from each other.