Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve heard the starfish story a thousand times before, or because the language used was easier to follow, but the “Starfish Hurling and Community Service” by Keith Morton was my favorite reading of the week. I even found an organization called the Starfish Foundation that helps people in need in Lesvos. Anyways, is a very popular story, but the focus that the writer gives it this time completely changes the way most of us are taught to understand it.
I have never really thought that maybe that maybe the starfish where were they were supposed to be. Maybe they were food for another species, maybe they are overpopulating that area of the beach and needed to bring balance to the ecosystem. The most important aspect that I have always taken from this story is the emotional impact it has on the person that is “helping the starfish” and what that person thinks his act brings to that one starfish.
Sometimes we actually do things thinking that that’s exactly what the other person needs or wants from our point of view. But without asking first we will never know for sure, we will only be imposing our solution which might not be a solution for them. That’s why Kelly Morton suggests that we should be smart before we act. Talk, listen, understand the situation, the environment, and the person or people we are trying to help, otherwise we might not be helping at all bu the other way around. That’s why is so important to work together as a team and a community to face our challenges and solve them together if it’s a social problem it involves and affects more than one mind.
I also liked the video of Kevin Starr, explaining how to really make an impact by knowing the mission (and creating a correct mission statement), measure the right things and knowing how to measure them. Some of the failed examples he shared, really open my eyes to think of all those times people have spent thousands of dollars on something they think will improve the lives of others, and ended up not helping, just because they didn’t observe enough and got to know their target population and if the invention or intervention would really be worth it. I remember reading this quote before and it applies to this topic: observation can tell us more than books in instances of finding our mission and how to achieve it.
For the W05 prompt, “how do I set my goals”, I’m not a very constant goal setter, I don’t update them. I keep my life goals pretty simple, same with my academic goals, they are very straightforward and clear. And I do what I have to do every day and I don’t forget them because I pray about them every day. But I should be better at setting short-term health/fitness goals. I don’t have any at the moment, last semester I was doing pretty well at exercising at least 20 minutes a day, but after I got sick I lost the routine and then it was hard to pick it up again. Part of the problem I think is that I don’t have someone to exercise with and I don’t feel like I receive a reward for doing them. What I need to do is to think about what I want to achieve and reflect on my personal situation, my time and means, what are my possibilities and resources. I also need to communicate them to someone I trust so they keep reminding me and put the work every day to reach them. I found this chart that summarizes very well how we should all set goals.
Miriam Aguirre 