“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead
I have been on a journey for over 30 years now.1 I have been seeking to lend my voice to efforts to advance children’s advocacy, to promote community improvement and reduce hate. My writings have often been spurred on by my readings, fiction and non-fiction.2
This writing has its origin with President Bill Clinton’s CITIZEN: MY LIFE AFTER THE WHITE HOUSE.3 It is apt that this sequence is occurring at the same time that our nation has celebrated the life of President Jimmy Carter, an exceptional man, public servant and humanitarian. Jimmy Carter’s service over the last 40 years of his life provide a template for folks that aspire to serve their fellow man in all the corners of the earth. Bill Clinton’s various initiatives from his foundations have had similar impacts.
Dr. Paul Farmer
One of the individuals that Clinton highlights is Dr. Paul Farmer.4,5 Wanting to know more about Dr. Farmer’s career, I started his biography written by Tracy Kidder – MOUNTAINS BEYOND MOUNTAINS: THE QUEST OF DR. PAUL FARMER, A MAN WHO WOULD CURE THE WORLD.6 Reading about Dr. Farmer brings to mind a 21st century Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a French physician who also saw fit to go to areas of extreme need.7 Dr. Farmer’s dedication to so many in so many places (Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, and others) was a testimony to his unceasing dedication and selfless service. He died too young in his sleep in Rwanda at age 62.
Kidder’s biography brought forth an important philosophy that Farmer promoted. While there is incredible ambiguity about many things in life, it is also true that there are areas of moral clarity (AMCs) that deserve our attention and action. As Kidder notes, AMCs “were situations, rare in the world, where what ought to be done seemed perfectly clear. But the doing was always complicated, always difficult.” Such deterrents, while easily identified by Farmer, did not keep him from the hard work. Not only was he able to devote his energies and expertise to the work but he was able to garner support from multiple quarters to guarantee the resources for the work.
I was intrigued with the idea of AMCs. Farmer identified at least the following8 –
- Structural violence. He believed that structural violence, or the political and economic systems that cause harm, overwhelmingly affects the poor. He believed that health and human rights are moral pursuits that require courage to confront.
- Equal dignity. He believed in the equal dignity of all people, and that human rights abuses are best understood from the perspective of the poor.
- Preferential option for the poor. His co-founded organization, Partners In Health, is guided by the “preferential option for the poor” strategy.
- Standing on the right side. He believed that when working in underserved settings, it matters more to stand on the right side for a just cause than to win or lose.
- Treating systems around the patient. He believed that global leaders should commit resources to health policies that are based on solidarity, compassion, and accompaniment.
Let me extend the example of Paul Farmer to folks who are engaged in the work of children’s advocacy in the US. Many of us feel that children’s issues will be pushed to the side in the current political climate, that children will be the innocent pawns of the divisiveness that negatively affects our society.9
Many of us might be discouraged that individually we will not be able to make a difference. But in the words of famed anthropologist Margaret Mead cited at the beginning, a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world and are really the only way that it can happen.
Margaret Mead, Ph.D
If child advocates seek to make a difference, they must be tied to AMCs. We must follow in the footsteps of the moral clarity of Paul Farmer. I would add to the AMC list the following –
- Truth telling. The truth leads the way, and lies erode confidence.10,11
- Promote trust. Our social currency is trust and must be at the forefront of everything we do.12
- Embrace diversity. Our differences are never greater than what we have in common. Accepting these differences and embracing our fellow man provides a clear path to improvement.13,14
- Exhibit civility. Civility is the fabric that weaves our interactions together.15
Consider the odds that the likes of Paul Farmer confronted throughout his lifetime. There were always naysayers telling him that his work either was impossible, too difficult or too expensive. He refused to listen, putting the needs of humanity ahead of the doubters.
To my fellow child advocates fighting for the needs of children, our duties are similar. At times, our efforts will seem fruitless, but the children deserve no less than our undivided attention and energies. And we can use the synergy of our work to create an effect greater than our individual efforts.
I have been accused of being too pointed in some of my criticism of our current political state that, in my estimation, puts the needs of children below others. I will unapologetically continue to be outspoken, in a civil manner, on behalf of children and call out efforts that are detrimental to the lives of children.
So many of my pediatric colleagues are the thoughtful, committed individuals seeking to change the world, individuals who Margaret Mead notes can indeed deliver that change. Using Paul Farmer’s AMCs as our guide, our efforts can be converted into our achievements on behalf of all children. His work will be celebrated as a testament to an incredible lifetime of dedication to others and his legacy can be the ongoing accomplishments of those that follow in his footsteps of service to others.
- Saul R. My Children’s Children: Raising Young Citizens in the Age of Columbine. CreateSpace; 2013. 272 pp.
- mychildrenschildren.com/readings/
- Clinton W. Citizen: My Life after the White House. Knopf; 2024. 464 pp.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Farmer
- https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMms2203232#:~:text=“He%20was%20doing%20that%20thing,world;%20Farmer%20actually%20did%20it
- Kidder T. Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World. Random House; 2003 (2023). 322 pp.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Schweitzer
- https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=Paul+Farmer+and+areas+of+moral+clarity&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/perspectives/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/staying-true-to-the-truth-moral-courage/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/lies-and-myths-affecting-childrens-lives/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/trust-is-the-currency-of-social-interaction-2/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/somewhere-2/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/woke-im-in/
- https://mychildrenschildren.com/civility-matters-2/