Author Archives: Ben

Crises and Clarity

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Hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into Europe, fleeing war and desolation. Nations reeling from the influx of displaced people with nowhere to go. Cultures colliding as people are forced to mix with the foreign and unknown. Professor Holly Chase shed some light onto the refugee crisis in Europe, specifically in Hungary, which is on the path from the Middle East and much of Europe. How does Hungary react? Accept them all, without question? Provide some measure of help, while retaining boundaries? Outright rejection? Crises like this cause enormous confusion- who knows what is best? What does “best” even mean? Can vastly different groups all find a common benefit? Interestingly enough, they can also bring a stark clarity. Some react to concerns like the mass fleeing from the Middle East into Europe with fear: In Hungary, Prime Minister Vitctor Orban fills the state-controlled media with fear-mongering articles about how all the immigrants are terrorists bent on uprooting the hard-earned Hungarian way of life. The government builds a fence a hundred miles long to physically block refugees from entering their borders. Others react with love and altruism, rushing to these same borders to provide worn out immigrants with necessary food, warmth, and advice. They drop whatever else was going on in their lives to support those in a place of desparate want, without expecting anything in return. Divides between those determined to maintain life as they wanted it and those willing to lend a hand to those in need start to form. Selfishness and selflessness begin to separate in a clearer way, which may not be apparent in ordinary circumstances. Still others, particularly the Two-Tailed Dog Party, seek to break the constant anxiety by satirizing the government’s attempts at pushing fear by pulling pranks. Although they don’t offer answers specifically, they provide a platform where visionaries can potentially emerge and break the controlling hold of the powers that be. Even if they don’t define have a specific game plan, they offer a message of hope: “We can do this together”.

 

I find it interesting to put myself in the place of a Hungarian living in a refugee-trafficked area (or should I say previously-trafficked, now that there’s a fence along the border). What would I be doing? Would I be willing to make sacrifices to support those who I could, or would I tenaciously hold onto ideas of MY rights or MY entitlements? Would I encourage those who have journeyed long and are flagging or would I mock them for seeking an unrealistic utopia? To bring it closer to home: how am I helping those around me who are in need right here, right now? They may not be as visible as hordes of refugees, but they are still there. Need may not even be physical. Do I take time to cheer up people who are feeling depressed or anxious? What if it somehow jeopardizes my schedule or my plans? Selfishness vs. selflessness. It’s a dichotomy of thought, feeling, and action that’s always there. Maybe the amount I think about it sheds light onto which side I often fall…

The Power of Art

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When I think of glass, it’s usually in relation to a window or a cold beverage. Attending Drew Harvell’s talk on the Blaschka glass sculptures last week definitively changed that perspective! I never imagined that glass could be so intricately worked into such exquisite art. The sheer craftsmanship of the Blaschka glass collection of marine creatures is astounding, and its beauty is only rivaled by that of the creatures it represents.

The presentation was bittersweet. On one hand, the fact that numerous species easily found 150 years ago are now extinct or endangered is a sobering thought: as discussed, global warming has facilitated (if not caused) the decline of many marine species, and the problem is only getting worse. The plight of the ochre starfish across the globe is representative of the vagaries of an ocean too warm. Will humanity be willing to dramatically alter its comfort-seeking lifestyle to support marine life? It seems doubtful.

On the other hand, however, I was inspired by the ability of art to renew a passion for nature. As museum patrons view and students study the beautiful sculptures, they are motivated to be more conscious of the natural world around them, and even take steps to support its well-being. I find it interesting how art can touch the human heart and inspire us to works of both passion and responsibility.  It seems that humans are most effective to address issues when their heads  and  their hearts are aligned. Although the Blaschka family may not have done any direct ecological work, their amazing creations serve as champions of the ecosystem they represent.

What will YOU do for the environment?

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Tonight I attended the Environmental Panel Becker/Rose Cafe Discussion. Professors David Wolfe, Greg Poe, and Shanjun Li led an interactive discussion concerning some current environmental issues and policies. They made it clear that the “common man” has an important role to play in the issue, as we can engage in more sustainable everyday practices, and agitate for environmental change on the political level. As Cornell students especially, it is our responsibility to be informed of environmentally responsible policies and technologies that can affect our options and the options of those around us. Leaving Cornell, we will have the opportunity to influence those in our respective spheres with regard to these things. Also, as an engineer, I have the opportunity to develop skills that can be put to the task in designing improved sustainability technologies.

The question that I want to ask everyone who may read this is: what are you willing to do – or even what are you willing to sacrifice – for the benefit of the environment? Everyday choices have an impact. Would you be slightly inconvenienced by taking the time to turn off the tap whenever you don’t need it, or turn lights off each time you leave a room? Would you be willing to modify your schedule more intensively to bike to the store and to work instead of drive? Would you be willing to pay more money for sustainably-sourced products and locally grown foods? Would you give up McDonalds burgers because of the obscene amounts of water it takes, and methane it creates to produce the ground beef? I find it easy to point fingers at big industry and politicians for causing pollution and hindering environmental responsibility, without recognizing that my consumption and lifestyle cause significant amounts of pollution. So, how serious are you about environmental health, really? What are you willing to DO about it? Your actions prove how much you want to see changes made.

The Tensions of International Justice

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On Wednesday I attended the Becker Rose cafe and heard Professor Ohlins talk about international criminal law. In an interactive discussion, we learned about what constitutes a war crime, and the various institutions in place to prosecute accused individuals or political entities, such as the UN and the International Criminal Court. As I expected, the political arena of criminal justice is very subjective and dynamic. There is a lot of gray area, and the law is being continually shaped.

Speaking with him after the event, I found two of his insights to be especially thought provoking. The first was the tension between what is moral and what is legal. One would expect international law to be formed on a moral basis, as a framework for political entities engaging in fair, ethical conduct. Professor Ohlins brought up that during the Vietnam Conflict, voices in the US evaluated our military’s aggression on a moralistic basis: was it right for us to be there, supporting a certain party, dropping bombs all over the place – or not? However, in the last 50 years the international legal system has grown in size and scope, as organizations such as the UN have grown. Now, people generally evaluate the US’ foreign involvement on the basis of established international law. They ask whether launching a ground invasion to take out Assad would be legal or not, not whether it would be moral or not. This creates the moral versus legal tension. Example: The United States, acting with more of a moral policy, engages in airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syrian territory, whereas European Nations see that as illegal without a Syrian invitation based on laws about national sovereignty, so have not entered into the conflict. Of course, laws can be eventually changed to more accurately reflect morality in various cases, but there are other motives for various laws, such as control and stability. In this case, Russia and China resist any UN coalition involvement in Syria because they consider national sovereignty and governmental control as more important than ethics.

This leads into the second insight: generally, if an accused criminal is powerful enough, or has friends who are powerful enough, then they are relatively immune to the international criminal justice system. For instance, Assad will likely never be tried in the International Criminal Court for the crimes against humanity that he has committed (such as massacring his people with illegal chemical weapons), due to his close connections with Russia, who have veto power in the UN. Similarly, the US would surely veto any attempt to try the military officials responsible for a recent US airstrike which resulted in the demolishing of an Afghani hospital, despite Doctors Without Borders calling the strike a clear war crime. Although Professor Ohlins notices an encouraging trend away from criminal immunity, there is still great resistance. In our times, and in a nation valuing representation and freedom of speech, it seems that it is often the responsibility of the common man to facilitate this process by pressuring the government to do what is moral, whether or not it is seen as “legal”, or politically advantageous. The law is not perfect: and we can be a voice standing for what seems to be ethical and agitating for legal change in that direction. The question is, how to do this most effectively, and based on the most accurate information? There will always be a level of uncertainty.

Stigmas and Success

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Last week I enjoyed a fantastic house dinner, made with locally grown  ingredients, and then attended the Becker/Rose cafe series, where I learned about the people who produce that very food! I had the opportunity to hear Mary Jo Dudley, who has worked to improve the lives of migrant farm workers and their families, speak about their situation.

At first I was surprised when Mary Jo shared that 95% of farmworkers in New York state were from ethnic minorities, most of which who are undocumented. Many of them are migrants as well, who travel in great droves across the US looking for seasonal farm work. The pay is poor,  as are the conditions. Also, children of this social strata struggle to get out of it, as they are constantly uprooted from school, so end up with low quality education. Why is it that farmwork is relegated to people whose illegal residency keeps them from doing anything else?

Clearly, there is a cultural stigma against farm work, which Mary Jo helped us explore. People don’t like the work because it is dirty, dangerous, low paying, hard physically, and lacking in advancement opportunities. And as it is mostly under the table, wages are typically well below the state minimum. Also, it seems to me that our society has engendered in us the idea that manual work is fundamentally “below” intellectual work. Through grade school and college I get the message that the “successful” tier of society has to go to do well in school, go to college (and preferably grad, med, or law school), and get stable, high paying, intellectually or socially-focused jobs.

 

My question is: why do we define success this way, so based on financial gain and security? I understand that people need a certain level of income to live comfortably and have adequate access to education, healthcare, and other necessities, but beyond that: is more cash always better? To me, success is rooted in something deeper than monetary gain or the physical comforts of luxury. Personally, i have found that success is rooted in relationships. Primarily, my relationship with God, which flows into my relationship with others, and fills them with love and sincerity. I wouldn’t trade all the riches in the world for the joy of being loved by God and sharing His love with others. No matter how I’m feeling on any given day, no matter my current circumstances, it satisfies. I think everyone would do well to really examine what they consider success to be, and why. Don’t just believe what society has drilled into you, find out for yourself.

Waking up to a Genocide

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Last Wednesday I attended the Becker/Rose Cafe Series and heard Professor Eric Cheyfitz speak about the past and ongoing plight of American Indians. To say that they have been “mistreated” by the United States would be a gross understatement. I was appalled to hear of the systematic genocide and ethnic cleansing that our nation has wrought on Indian people groups, from preemptive war to mass slaughter to withholding vaccinations to forcing assimilation to denying Indian political and legal authority. Doctor Cheyfitz made it abundantly clear that the US has had no qualms blatantly reneging on treaties with Indian Nations and denying them the authority and resources needed to maintain health and safety in their territories.

I find two things especially enraging about what we as a nation have done to Indians. First off, we rarely talk about the enormity of past atrocities, such as the Wounded Knee massacre of Indian women and children or the forced assimilation of the Dawes Severalty act. In US History classes we often admit that the US has occasionally been on the wrong side of history: slavery was heinous, and the Vietnam Conflict extremely damaging to all involved. However, history classes never come close to describing what we have done to the Indians as genocide. Even worse, the genocide is still happening! I had no idea that we continue to leverage Indians to assimilate by keeping their societies as impoverished and dangerous. The US has done a great job of propagating the myth that Indian peoples are a thing of the past, swept away by the advances of modern society.

Confronted with these truths, I’m deeply impressed by the resilience of the Indian peoples, as they seek to maintain their culture in the face of great opposition and suffering. I am also convicted. How can I just sit here while a such a beautiful people group bears the force of ethnic cleansing by the most powerful superpower in the world? Now that I know the injustice that is going on, I have the choice to do something about it, or support it by my indifference. Fortunately, Cornell has an American Indian Program which fosters Indian community, and is engaged in service events such as tutoring Indian high school students in Lafayette, NY. I’m excited to explore these opportunities!

Identity

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On Wednesday I attended the first Becker/Rose cafe series of the year,  and had the opportunity to hear Professor Dan Schwartz talk about how to make the best used of our time at Cornell. He shared that time management, making plans, getting to know professors, and spending a little time each day for fun activities were all important to find and realize our career and personal goals. All of his points seemed to be valid, but there was a deeper question looming over the discussion: Why?

Why are we seeking a certain vocation above all else? Taking a step farther back, why do we make the choices we do, what is our motivation for doing anything? I think that it’s important to answer the universal question of “What am I made to do and how am I made to live?” before tackling the issue of how to maximize my career potential through my time at Cornell. Dan Schwartz seemed to make the assumption that, at this point in our lives, we see ourselves as students first. This is true for some, but not for everyone – at least, not for me.

Personally, my identity is in my Father-Son relationship with God by the grace of Jesus. This informs the decisions I make at the deepest level. Though I am a student, I’m not a student first. My question to others is: who are you at your core, and how do you choose to live based on that identity? Do you subscribe to the idea that, since you are at Cornell, you are a student first?