Hello dedicated readers…(if there are any of you still out there), I have been extremely dismal at keeping up with my blog and I apologize for that. However, I have heard from a few people that they have now started their own blogs too! Which is amazing and I can’t wait to read them all while pretending to be working. On another positive note, since I haven’t blogged in so long, I have a ton of issues/burning ideas and I can’t wait to get some discussion started.
My post today “The reality of rationalization” was inspired by two separate and very different circumstances, but upon closer reflection, I have come to the conclusion that both circumstances involve the notion of rationalization.
I was home (in Ontario) for Thanksgiving this year (first time in a LONG time that I have actually been in the country for Thanksgiving) and we went to my aunt and uncles for dinner. Since I have been bouncing around the globe, I haven’t seen many of my cousins for quite some time. Thankfully, one of my cousins whom I really wanted to see and catch up with was there, with her two gorgeous babies. Her husband is currently away (and I think recently graduated) from the Canadian Army. We talked about the challenges of them being apart (although social media and technologies tend to bridge the gap, in some ways), but she always saw the best of the situation and proposed the brightest options for her and her family once they are reunited. Her positivity astounded me, as I was (and still am) concerned for the welfare of her husband.
Now. As many of you may know, I am not exactly the biggest fan of militaries. And while I do see the necessary “benefits” of security for a nation to be able to function in today’s world, I have always been quite critical about them. However, upon hearing my cousin’s story, about her family, about bringing the theories, the statistics I have read to a personal front, I began to question myself. I began to rationalize my thoughts on the military, and see a new perspective, just by listening to someone else’s story. I am still a (somewhat) critic on militaries (especially private security companies…hey did anyone else notice that Blackwater rebranded themselves and now go by ‘Xe’?), but the method of my rationalization of morals, of what I really believed was right and true was changed by the account of making it personal.
I know that this is not a unique story by any means, and that people rationalize and question their morals frequently. I believe that that is innately human. Has anyone else had a personal encounter that rearranged your perspective on life? love? the new world order? I suspect that those of you whom have spent time in ‘developing’ (*shudder*, i hate that word) countries will have a lot to contribute here.
The second story on rationalization relates to my work. Recently, my place of work received the largest philanthropic donation to a academic institution in Atlantic Canada to fund water research in rural Newfoundland. The donation was made by one of the major banks in Canada, whom has recently been seen a lot in the alternative media (and environmental activist circles) for being the main investors of the tar sands in western Canada. A facebook comment has recently called my place of work onto our position on this donor’s other investment behaviour.
THIS conundrum has been the focus of much discussion and debate between some colleagues and I, as to what to do/how to respond to this.
Obviously (or at least to me), my place of work has been the beneficiary of a “clean up campaign” by this bank. The main critique about the tar sands in western Canada is the obscene amounts of water that are wasted used to extract the raw product. [Look down the road], this same bank is now funding water research around Canada. Coincidence? I think not.
However, while I am acutely aware of the treacherous results to the environment that are taking place, without this philanthropic donation, many communities in Newfoundland & Labrador would continue to live with “boil water” advisories. In Canada. In 2010. That fact, ALSO blows my mind. So the question goes, how far is too far to rationalize tricky paradoxes like this? Can I rationalize my employment and deployment of the water research fund, because the donation is going to communities very much in need? How much can I rationalize without being critiqued by my peers and society? Is rejecting the normal rationalization methods of society the most moral?
These and other questions in our work, relationships, passion are bound to arise. My only answer (and this is certainly up for debate, and is by no means an exhaustive answer) is to be aware of ones values. And know when a dealbreaker is a dealbreaker. And to have the courage to act on your values, if it means quitting your job, or getting out of a relationship, if it truly compromises your integrity or values.
I am extremely curious to hear what ya’all think about this. Share your rationalization stories, good or bad, and how you came to your decisions.
The Cosmopolitan Cowgirl 