Why all the questions?

I am surprised that so many people ask questions about why more things were not done to prevent the oil spill in the Gulf. The answer to me seems relatively simple. To create a safe system that is resilient requires that redundancy be built into the system. In other words, it requires that a number of safeguards and backup systems be developed and be put in place to, first of all, prevent an accident, and to then allow a quick recovery from an accident if one occurs. Unfortunately, all of this requires money. And money spent on safety and prevention comes off at the bottom line. Companies that design and install these systems are not going to be as profitable as companies that do not. And given that spills like the one that is occurring now in the Gulf are a relatively low probability event, companies would prefer to take the risk. If they spend the money on safety and prevention, they will not be as profitable as other companies that do not. Greed is good. Right?

Resilience and the Unknown

The unknown is one of the biggest challenges to resilience. When we know what to expect, we can plan for it. If you listen to the people of Louisiana talk about the oil spill, they will tell you that for many of them, it is much more difficult than a hurricane like Katrina. When the storm was over, it was over. People knew what they had to do. They had been through other storms. They could file their insurance claims and rebuild their houses and go back to fishing, etc. With the oil spill in the Gulf, no one knows exactly what the final damage will be. Will the fishing industry and the tourist business be destroyed? Will people ever be able to get their lives back to “normal”? When will all of this end?


Ron Breazeale, Ph.D.
Author, Duct Tape Isn’t Enough
www.reachinghome.com

Glue

What holds our society and our communities together, especially during hard times? It certainly isn’t the foolish behavior on Wall Street that got our society into the present recession. The “Greed is Good” mantra does little to hold our society together and much to tear it apart. Those who support the “more is better” philosophy and oppose regulation and restraint are out front leading the band when things are going well, but often disappear from sight when things go south. Those who are left to try to pick up the pieces and put things back together are the folks who work in the public sector. They are the educator and the teacher who are increasingly playing the role of parent. They are the social services directors trying to provide more services with less money and fewer staff. They are the police officer playing the role of social worker/counselor because no one else will. They are the employment counselor trying to instill hope in a 55-year-old who has lost his job of 30 years. They are the glue that holds our society together.



Ron Breazeale, Ph.D.
Author, Duct Tape Isn’t Enough
www.reachinghome.com

Compassion Fatigue

I recently had the opportunity to conduct a resilience workshop with staff from 15 different social services agencies in the Portland area. The program focused on the skills and attitudes of resilience and how these could be integrated into the work that these individuals do with their clients each day. As the participants told stories about themselves and their clients, it was clear that they needed resilience as much as the people with whom they work. These are very hard times for people that provide social services in our society. It is a time when their services are needed more than ever, but there is less money and staff to do the job. What is most disturbing to me is the lack of understanding and support that they receive from the general public. Like the veterans coming back from the war in Iraq or Afghanistan, these people who are on the front line of the battle in our society against the forces that could destroy it, e.g., violence, drug abuse, poverty, ignorance, need the same kind of support and recognition for the hard and dangerous work that they do.


Ron Breazeale, Ph.D.
Author, Duct Tape Isn’t Enough
www.reachinghome.com