Reflexive good intentions (a degree of Munchausen's?) vs. targeted, effective aid

[UTUSN]

Locally, a member of a religious denomination went on t.v. saying he is just waiting the go-ahead from his organization to go to Haiti to help. He also said that his organization has trained its members to go withOUT any provisions for food or shelter FOR THEMSELVES because "God will provide." What they have on hand to offer are 5,000 widgets for a certain niche human need. (I don't want to be more specific so as not to identify the group and thereby stigmatize them.) Missionary outreach is one dimension of the enterprise.


The intentions are worthy, or as I'm framing it, within the realm of "worthiness". But: 1) This group will NOT be SELF-sustaining with their own food and shelter. This means they will at SOME level be dependent themselves on the resources that will detract from what's available to the primary victims themselves. 2) Proselytlyzing is involved, even if they will, by the desperate physical needs they will find, be forced to downplay it by some degree. I submit that the Haitians have their own spiritual resources, without needing any degree of conversion. And "conversion" in itself carries the implication that something "better" is being substituted, which is not called for.


Somebody said this fellow shouldn't be criticized (if that's what this is) because he might "touch" someone. O.K. I'm just saying that there is such a thing as "hero syndrome" (I forget the official name of it) that might be in play here, especially when they go on t.v. and appear to be consumed with "holy" intensity. (Google actually had results for "hero syndrome", below. Oh, found it: Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSBP) . )


Yes, he might "touch" one person, or ten, or fifty, or whatever the number. There probably isn't a calculation regarding how many might be impeded from accessing the resources he himself will use.


There has already been fierce discussion here about the speed of the aid so far, such that there is probably no way to perform a screening process for this possibly less effective way of helping. There's even a thread quoting General HONORE saying that the "assessment" approach is delaying things. O.K.


I think I'm just floundering to say that there are many ways to help, some of them in the anonymous background.


********On multiple Edit: The media people melded to the mics and cameras, falling over themselves, are a related issue.


***********QUOTE********

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero_Syndrome

Hero Syndrome

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The hero syndrome is a phenomenon affecting people who seek heroism or recognition, usually by creating a desperate situation which they can solve. This can include unlawful acts, such as arson. The phenomenon has been noted to affect civil servants, such as firefighters, nurses, police officers, and security guards. <1> Acts linked with the hero syndrome should not be confused with acts of malicious intent, such as revenge on the part of a suspended firefighter or an insatiable level of excitement, as was found in a federal study of more than 75 firefighter arsonists. <2> However, acts of the hero syndrome have been linked to previously failed heroism.<3> The hero syndrome may also be a more general yearning for self-worth. <4>.

Screening

A screening method has been developed, based on the case that those who commit the acts are generally young and are looking for an opportunity to prove or flaunt their bravery. <5> However, there are no formal scientific studies on the hero syndrome. <6> Some claim that those with the syndrome are “narcissists in a slump,” pointing to people who have failed to achieve their dreams and ambitions, downtrodden by society’s infatuation with fame. <7>



http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/They+also+serve+who+only+stand+and+wait

They also serve who only stand and wait

Cultural Dictionary


The last line of the poem “On His Blindness,” by John Milton. The poet reflects that he has a place in God's world despite his disability.

***********UNQUOTE**********

[sam sarrha]

1. got a friend at work says.. its all out of our hands, god guides us.. he has 2 sons in state prison

[UTUSN]

2. Similarly, a guy told me he didn't know why his kids turned out bad, that

he had thought they would grow into religion (or good behavior) at age 15 or so. On their own. Without his teaching or modeling.

[sam sarrha]

3. i used to be a Juvenile Parole Officer.. i've seen it all, my son went thru the gifted child program

got straight A's, got a PhD in Engineering.. never spanked him. i did knock the air out of his diaper pants once when he started to reach for something hot on the stove,

i basically used the Dog Whispers system. i was a Zoologist. even when he was gust an infant i sat him down and explained to him in a calm voice why i did or didn't want him to do something. i guided his attention and imagination to inquire and be curious.. and how to solve and find answers for the problems he discovered. i basically never allowed him to let his emotions run him, i caught him before he did something or got excited in a negative way

[sam sarrha]

4. check out this book...>>link>> a copy of a previous post with the data, i only have one hand its

hard to type with one finger...
_______________________________________________________________________________
it's amusing to hear people wanting to Micro-Manage the Gods.. it's a Package Deal.. nice shinny car
till it runs over your kid...

this guy is really great, i saw him on CSPN Booknotes... this cutting edge science explains so much about people.. especially Rush and the other Narcissistic OCB Haters.

i always thought there was a region of the brain that caused an inexplainable void that people attributed to gods..
and basically i was right.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=+Andrew+Newberg+&x=17&y=30

http://www.amazon.com/How-Changes-Your-Brain-Neuroscientist/dp/0345503414/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263655817&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Change-Your-Brain-Life-Obsessiveness/dp/0812929985/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263655856&sr=8-2

this all seems to have started at an annual round table of leading scientists and thinkers hosted by the Dali Lama.. described in the book
http://www.amazon.com/Destructive-Emotions-Scientific-Dialogue-Dalai/dp/0553381059/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263656868&sr=8-1

it seems to be where the connection of using Meditates as a "Control" in brain scans, it seems that a "Control" has been lacking in nearly all Psychological tests and experiments from the beginning if that science.
http://www.amazon.com/Destructive-Emotions-Scientific-Dialogue-Dalai/dp/0553381059/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1263656868&sr=8-1

not a bad list for MSN...
http://www.bing.com/search?q=meditation+is+the+best+treatment+for&FORM=MSNH11&qs=n
.............................................

Dr Newman says that some Fundamental religious practices can cause permanent brain damage. they are like this due to perceptual limitations of the regions of their brains that their practices make dominate or eliminate

[UTUSN]

5. Thanks. There's also the old church debate about "good works" vs. "meditation"

My traditionalist Catholic elderly sister went to check out a Retreat house. I went with her. The grounds and accomodations were extensive and totally empty (off "season"). There was one employee (besides the handyman) and she gave us a tour.

When we got back to the main building, this cloistered nun appeared, supposedly encountering us by chance as she came to check something at the office. I suspect she had heard visitors and was curious.

She was emaciated and hollow-eyed, which she might interpret as signs of "holiness". The employee introduced us. The woman (as apart from "nun") appeared to be screaming out (silently) for human contact/socialization. But she had her "spiritual" armor on---a haughty demeanor, like her higher calling was something we low lifes could never comprehend, PRIDE. She kept her interaction curtailed, leaving us almost immediately, giving us to understand that she had to return to her magnificent devotions.

Our backs were to the staircase she was using. But after a few of her steps up I crooked my neck back to look, and she was paused midway peering down at us. I really believe she was CRAVING to join us for SOCIALIZATION, but she denied herself this temptation and resumed her trudging upstairs.

The woman was plain LONELY (I believe)!1

[sam sarrha]

8. apples and oranges.. i dont see the connection, the nun wasnt Meditating.they dont do that.

[Hannah Bell]

10. yes, they do.

[sam sarrha]

12. i believe what they do is called 'Contemplation', in the books i posted about brain region dominance

there is proof that contemplative activities get similar results... but it is easy to cross the line and damage the process with nearly any wandering off the Middle Way, so to speak.

meditation is a process of not attaching to thoughts/emotions, recognizing that they are and letting them go.. Devotional Practices on the other hand are based on focusing on a thought/emotion.. god/love of christ, etc... its not the same thing.. there are a lot of people who think they teach meditation/ or meditate but are not.

[bain_sidhe]

6. Heh. I've always called it the KISA syndrome

as in "Knight In Shining Armor." There are some folks who just need to be a KISA, and if there's no DID (Damsel in Distress) handy, they'll put one IN distress, just to "rescue" them. And I've known a few perpetual DIDs, too, who put themselves in distress, so that they can be "rescued" - which (to them) proves that the rescuer loves them.

And, I should note, though I use the gendered terms of "Knight" and "Damsel" it's not really a gender thing, it's more a conceptual thing, regardless of the actual gender of the participants.

[sam sarrha]

9. it's way more weird than that, i grew up in a serious fundi church..

[UTUSN]

7. Farewell kick to an o.p. I gave thought to. n/t

[GMA]

11. VERY interesting post.

People can get so mixed up... I spent years as a childbirth instructor in an area where there was a strong movement of "spiritual midwives". Most of us referred to their training as "have one, see one, do one". These women (and the occasional man) were convinced that they had been called by God to be midwives, and that the knowledge they needed would be miraculously supplied.

Those "spiritual midwives" claimed the same religion as I, but nothing in my experience or learning theologically supported their incredibly dangerous approach to midwifery. I do believe in miracles, but I also believe in preparation, and in a foundation based on knowledge and hard work. These women had good intentions but they were lazy and ill-equipped.

It seems odd to me that there is such a clamor on the right for less government while some of those same people expect God to do their work for them.