[Ron]
> Therefore it is difficult for me to accept theories
> of purpose, meaning and form
> When they are useful tools for survival and not much
> more. They are powerful,
> let me not underscore their value, they are supreme
> indeed to the human condition.
> You who would give form to the formless, meaning to
> the meaningless
> Contradicts your own understanding of the
> individual, that proprietary
> Value awareness is foundational. Anything you say
> about it only applies
> To your own experience and can never apply to anyone
> else's.
> By attempting to influence views and expounding
> thesis and rally support
> Gain followers or garner acceptance, you contradict
> your own ontology.
> For it can only ever be an ontology of one. Of the
> individual.
Ron, well put. I'm not pointing out Ham only. I
find myself falling into this trap as well. This is
another downfall of where I work. We are to treat the
residents as individuals, but that is very difficult
when their personalities go many ways, they are
chaotic at times, etc... We structure their routine
to help develop/cultivate organization. They need it.
Yet, the staff sometimes get caught up in these
habits of forced organization that staff get stuck in
a 'one way to do things' mentality. This 'way' spoils
creativity. Residents don't always fit snug/nicely
into a certain approach as to how to handle them.
This is what happens when more and more
organization is necessary to hold a society together.
The tighter the hold is, the more pressure applied.
Who's going to apply the pressure? The pressure will
come from more agencies, more bureaucratic red-tape
organizations. The question of flexibility and
wide-perspective will be stiffened and narrowed.
The whole idea of more organization, more
know-how dictated by the 'ones that know better' than
you, them, us, me, etc... is dangerous. The whole
idea that some things are wrong and others are not
wrong also applies a degree of pressure. When I meet
with staff I try to emphasize that when I ask them a
question that what they say will not be wrong. I will
provide obvious guidelines that they should know
anyways, such as we don't physically hurt residents,
but when I recently asked staff what they thought
their role was I wanted an honest answer that might
even to dare, on their part, to think outside the box
and give answers that are not currently be enacted or
are on the peripheral of our current routine.
This was a stimulating comment, thanks Ron.
white thin clouds in the big blue,
SA
P.S. Ron, I hope I didn't say anything disturbing
awhile back when I said your wife seems like one of
the residents I work with. I guess in the black and
white of it, this does come across unsettling. I only
pointed this out due to my mothers side of the family
is also argumentative and sometimes violent (my one
uncle still picks fights with strangers that stare at
him wrong or say something he doesn't like). My
brother argues a lot, too. But he openly talks about
depression, too, which bothers him. This seems to be
a condition of this culture. More and more
psychiatric medications are prescribed and accepted as
the only way out of this mess. When I said what I
said above I was showing concern and I feeling of
compassion came over me. Remember, I may discuss the
down-side to my job at times, but I started to work
there and still work there by really one force that
saves me from the pain. I still have compassion and
thus, empathy. Sorry if it came across coldly or how
ever you may have taken it (if it was taken in a bad
light).
P.S.S. I recently was notified that a board member
thought I was mean. I can be very straight-forward at
times and not beat around the bush. Some things have
been going on where I work for over a year now, that
has influenced changes in the administration, and the
staff turn-over rate has been high due to the people
that used to work there. Currently the newer
administration folks have been helping a lot in
turning this place around. She came in to sit down
with some of the program managers (that's me) in the
cafeteria, and was asking us about any building
repairs we need. They've been cutting down trees
(that cost anywhere from $700 to $1000 per tree to be
cut down) and putting $ into the building structures,
meanwhile the main concern has been the staff
turn-over and thus, safety for staff on the units. Of
course, our wages are at the bottom of the barrel for
our local area in this field, and staff leave here in
droves. To make a long story short I asked her about
the wage increases that we've been waiting for. I'm
currently trying to pick up a second part-time job to
pay for our very small house mortgage, and other staff
members that have stuck around are young, live with
their parents still, go to college still, and if their
older they have anywhere from 2 to 4 jobs. You can't
buy a house or have a family working where I work.
How my wife and I were able to buy this small, many
repairs needed house was some old $ was involved, and
then to keep it, she has luckily been able to find
full-time substitution jobs each semester in secondary
education. I was telling this older lady on the board
the financial pressure this agency is placing on staff
and why staff leave constantly (with real examples)
which doesn't help the residents (and why the place
was cited by the state numerous times this year), and
all's she could say was I needed a financial adviser.
What an answer that was. So I can't handle my $
properly. I said that takes $ to get one. Then all's
she said was her husband was a financial adviser, but
he's dead now. There was a huge disconnect in the
conversation between her and I. Later she talked with
one of the other program managers and she mentioned
that I seemed mean. Yeah, frustration did come out
I'd admit, but frustration has been boiling with staff
for over a year for those very few that have stuck
around. The other program manager let her know about
this, and yes I can be straightforward at times which
going directly to a point may not soften up the
difficult problems that the discussion looks to
address, and yes I was frustrated. So, I point this
out, for I know I may say things at times without
softening them up, and maybe I am being downright
mean. I apologize to everyone.
leafy movements on branches are subtle and strong,
SA
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
Moq_Discuss mailing list
Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
Archives:
http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
