Teach a Man to Fish
Donation protected
“Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
Are these proverbs myths we have that minimize our need to act, and keep us in our safety net of privilege? Because that man needs more than knowledge - he needs money to buy tackle and bait, a car or good health to walk out to that lake, and then the ability to access a lake that no longer belongs to everyone because it's been 'bought' by a rich man or regulated by another.
So, it doesn’t go unnoticed that on the day I will receive my final vaccine, my dear friend Margaret died, alone, in a hospital from Covid. And on the last day she was able to speak, I wasn't able to understand anything she was saying to me.
But a red cardinal just oddly landed and sat outside my glass door. So, I'll fall back on our superstitions and proverbs and assume she was saying she knew I’d do my best to help. That she'd graciously accepted that for years I had prioritized the family who worked for us in Rwanda because I swore they were more in need, but now it was her children's turn.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Margaret was the sole breadwinner for all of her family - her children, girls in the family that didn't have a safe home, and their children. She lived in a world where her "privilege" and secure job didn't bring amenities such as running water into her home. A world where poor education and job opportunities meant the next generation still depended totally on you. And a tragedy could consume half a year's salary.
Margaret taught me we are all the same. And I learnt from my experiences that it's only by chance we aren't born into the same world so we can share in the same outcomes.
If that resonates a bit with you, if you're becoming more aware of the hierarchy we live within, or inclined to believe in proverbs or religious parables about helping the least well off until they've reached a decent level of security, then I'd graciously accept and thank you for your donation which we'll use to ensure Margaret finally has someone protecting her - ensuring she is resting in peace with her ancestors, and paying for her kids to acquire the skills and tools so they can feed themselves.
Ke a leboha! (Thank you).
Are these proverbs myths we have that minimize our need to act, and keep us in our safety net of privilege? Because that man needs more than knowledge - he needs money to buy tackle and bait, a car or good health to walk out to that lake, and then the ability to access a lake that no longer belongs to everyone because it's been 'bought' by a rich man or regulated by another.
So, it doesn’t go unnoticed that on the day I will receive my final vaccine, my dear friend Margaret died, alone, in a hospital from Covid. And on the last day she was able to speak, I wasn't able to understand anything she was saying to me.
But a red cardinal just oddly landed and sat outside my glass door. So, I'll fall back on our superstitions and proverbs and assume she was saying she knew I’d do my best to help. That she'd graciously accepted that for years I had prioritized the family who worked for us in Rwanda because I swore they were more in need, but now it was her children's turn.
“I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
Margaret was the sole breadwinner for all of her family - her children, girls in the family that didn't have a safe home, and their children. She lived in a world where her "privilege" and secure job didn't bring amenities such as running water into her home. A world where poor education and job opportunities meant the next generation still depended totally on you. And a tragedy could consume half a year's salary.
Margaret taught me we are all the same. And I learnt from my experiences that it's only by chance we aren't born into the same world so we can share in the same outcomes.
If that resonates a bit with you, if you're becoming more aware of the hierarchy we live within, or inclined to believe in proverbs or religious parables about helping the least well off until they've reached a decent level of security, then I'd graciously accept and thank you for your donation which we'll use to ensure Margaret finally has someone protecting her - ensuring she is resting in peace with her ancestors, and paying for her kids to acquire the skills and tools so they can feed themselves.
Ke a leboha! (Thank you).
Organizer
Rachel Savard
Organizer
Orléans, ON