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Life has been interesting lately... I am currently toiling in a job that I dislike simply to make money. I work everyday until 9:00 at night, arriving home when my wife is almost ready to go to sleep. I have certain passions and gifts that are simply not being used. You know what my passions are - I write about them every day. In that sense they are being used, but not in the way that I want. I am passionate about Jesus. I am passionate about justice and equality. I am passionate about bringing attention to the unjust and unequal society that we live in. I am passionate about ending the death penalty in the United States and around the world. I am passionate about ending the inequality that exists between men and women, rich and poor, white and everyone else, educated and uneducated, and so many other things. As a follower of Jesus I believe that we are called to act for justice. Read the prophets, read the gospels. The entire Bible talks about the "least of these" that we are called to serve. And we not only should, but we must respond to that command. I also have a strong desire to use the gifts and talents that I have been blessed with. We all have different abilities, and we all are good at different things. And while I have been fairly content with my tutoring abilities, I do not believe that I am using my abilities to their fullest. I want something more... Yet I am not sure how to do this. My dream would be to have a job that I could combine my passions and abilities while still making money. Yes...it goes back to money. And I hate that it goes back to money. But family complicates a lot of things. What does it mean to be secure? How does one afford a family (i.e. husband, wife, kids) and a house and work in a social justice job? And how does someone like me find a job that I am passionate about that can also enable my family to do the things that it wants. I know what I want to do...I want to go to law school and become a public defender. But has anyone looked recently at the pay gap between what public defenders get paid and every other lawyer? Many lawyers have a salary in their first year that would cover their law school tuition. Of course, few, if any, can send all of their income to pay for loans, but you understand what I mean. Public defenders, on the other hand, would have to work twice as long to pay off their tuition. And that really pisses me off. Why is it that I see a need that I cannot meet because of financial limitations? Why is it that our society things more of corporate lawyers (as evidenced by the pay granted to them) than those that work with the poor? So this leaves me in a quandary, doesn’t it? What the hell do I do with my life? Or how about a slightly less daunting question - what the hell do I do right now? Comments, Pingbacks:
welcome to the wild wonderful world of those us who have no clue!
First, talk to public defenders and find out what they did and how they did it. Second, make your blog a marketing whore and get lots of money somehow through it. You are creative...screw the man by making him give you money and entice your readers with your words.
Every day you comment on the injustice of society, your predicament is hardly surprising. If anything, you should be at least a little encouraged. Meeting that kind of resistance from the establishment means that you're definitely on the right track.
"How does one afford a family (i.e. husband, wife, kids) and a house and work in a social justice job?"
well the short answer for me is to live very simply, but thats too easy and i don't plan on having kids so let me offer a more accessible solution, find the right organization to work for. i think a large part of the ability to support a family on a non-profit's wages has to do with the benefits and support system in place. in addition to fantastic benefits which reduce family expenses, our office is also very family friendly, most new babies come into the office with their parents for the first few months, then when old enough they go to a daycare provided through one of our partners. also, many organizations have funding for education so if you get in there early, they might be able to ofset the cost of your continuing education, which means you wont be burdened with so much loan debt in the long run. little things like this offered by employers can help make providing for and managing a family a little bit easier. employers like this can be hard to find, but they're out there. try doing a search on idealist.org
I can relate to an extent. I too am toiling at a job that Ihate because I need the money and I too am wasting my gifts that I would rather be using serving God in a ministerial capacity.
I just shrug and say "if God truly called me, He'll make it happen." He did it a few times already. I think the next stage is iminent. As for helping criminals, I would much rather start a prison ministry that actually helps them rehabilitate instead of trying to help them avoid justice altogether. Leave a comment:
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