Active Care

As we approach our 2nd Annual Life Science Cares Impact Breakfast on Monday morning, I thought I would share this blog about Active Caring. We will have ~500 people in the room at the Cambridge Marriott Monday morning, all of whom are giving their time and (hopefully) some of their treasure to support this collective effort to impact poverty in greater Boston. While we are all proud of what we have accomplished in a very short time, this is a great reminder that coming together to raise money is a means to a much more important end, truly helping people who are impacted by poverty. I look forward to seeing many of you on Monday morning. THANK YOU for "Caring Actively!"

This is a difficult blog to write without appearing “preachy” or self absorbed. I hope you will accept this as my personal exploration on how to impact the world, and not an attempt to tell you how (or if) you should do the same. Philanthropy, altruism, and service are all very personal topics, and whatever each person decides to do is the right thing for them. This is my attempt to figure out what is right for me.

Recently, I listened to a discussion on the topic of “active love” from Fyodor Dostoevsky’s brilliant novel The Brother’s Karamazov. There are volumes of analytical theses about this book (and even on this topic) by people with more IQ points than I could even fathom, but to my simple mind, Dostoevsky’s “active love” is basically described as the difference between the love for mankind (passive love) versus the love for individual. In order to demonstrate “active love”, you must love individuals “actively and untiringly”. In order to love “actively” you must take deliberate action in helping others, as opposed to passively praying, thinking good thoughts, writing checks, signing petitions, and hoping the world will change for the better.

Active love is hard. It requires courage, sacrifice, relentlessness. Active love can be used against you to others’ advantage. It can make you look like a fool. It hurts. Active love is about outputs. Results. It’s the difference between hoping something good happens to many, and ensuring it happens, one person at a time.

After hearing this discourse, I was struck with how relevant this is to my view of our world today. There are so many things going on about which I care deeply…from people impacted by poverty and the growing gap between rich and poor, to victims of unconscionable gun violence in our schools, to “dreamers” who are facing an uncertain future in spite of being a productive part of our country for almost all of their lives.

It made me think…Am I caring actively enough? One small example… this situation has perplexed me for years, and I still don’t have an answer for what is right…for me. Almost every day, as I walk the streets of Boston, LA or wherever I may be, I cross paths with many homeless, destitute people, asking for money. Some appear to be more desperate than others, but all are asking me, directly, in some small way, for help. I think about this situation often. What is the right thing to do? Should I give ALL of them money? If not, how do I decide when and when not to give, and how much? What if they are really capable of work and are just trying to take advantage of my (and everyone else’s) good will? What is my little donation really going to do for them? What if my gift is really being used for something negative, like feeding an addiction?

I love this quote, from an unknown author, which gave me great insight...

“Whether you give a man a fish or teach him how to fish, your job hasn’t changed. Your job is fish. It is not to make value judgments about whether the person is deserving of fish. It is not to criticize the person for not knowing how to fish already. And it is certainly not your job to stand around and debate the relative efficacy of fish charity vs. fish education while the person in front of you goes hungry. This person is your fellow human. Your job is fish”

Truth be told, my giving in this situation is really random, and many times, I find a reason not to provide a handout to people who are soliciting for money. I rationalize that passive love is sufficient for this situation. I write checks and support organizations that (hopefully) help these individuals. I have a practice of saying a short prayer for each person I see in this situation, which makes me feel better that I am doing SOMETHING. In essence, I have convinced myself that this is the right answer for me. Perhaps it is, but spending time contemplating the concept of active love has me re-thinking my mindset. (btw…I’d love to hear how you have decided what works best for you in these situations)

As I reflect on what caring actively means to me, I know that there are areas upon which I can improve. If I'm honest with myself, I know there are ways that I can give a little more of myself and my resources and apply them to get real results for people who need help. Caring, as in business, athletics, and other endeavors, is about outcomes and results. Checking a box to say “I helped” is not enough. Life Science Cares' mission is to be a vehicle to channel our industry's desire to care actively about our neighbors. We greatly appreciate the support so many have given to this mission, and hope we can enroll many more into this philosophy.

Imagine the impact we can all have on the world if we cared just a little more actively, each and every day.

“Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.”

“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped.”  -Robert F. Kennedy