What does the recent slashing of social services in California mean for your community? What is the real tragedy of this situation and where will the truly heroic emerge? Read as Adam Peacocke reflects on the current opportunity.
Question # 4 – Creating Long term prosperity for the largest number of people.
Principle: Our loyalties reveal the true authorities in our life. Healthy authority develops people rather than keeping them dependent.
The California state legislature alongside Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently reached a budget compromise that ended months of embarrassment for the state. From plummeting investment ratings, issuing IOUs, and an assortment of legislative dysfunctions, this billion dollar task revealed just how deep the recent economic slide has impacted the “golden state.” The shouts of distress over these developments will cause many to miss the fact that, if we are willing to suffer the real implications of change, this actually is a blessing in disguise for the citizens of California.
Among the storylines this recent episode contains is the fact that the new budget requires deep and sometimes drastic cuts to various human services programs that needy individuals and families have come to depend upon. Part of why the outcry over the cuts to these programs has been so loud is that the state has developed quite a loyalty among the needy as a source for help. Many literally have no thought of a solution to their needs coming from another source. I have heard it said that “loyalty reveals authority.” From my vantage point, there is no question that the state of California has positioned itself as the ultimate authority in helping those in the deepest need in its communities.
Healthy authority develops people rather than keeping them dependent. This truth meshes well with the famous statement about the difference between giving a man a fish, feeding him for a day, or teaching him to fish, which will feed him for a lifetime. By this standard California has failed the majority of its most vulnerable. Generational poverty is entrenched. Education is inadequate. And many have little realistic hope for a significant transformation in their lives based upon the current services they are receiving. Is it possible that those who have been looking to this failing “authority” for help will discover something better?
It will not take long for the impact of these cuts to have a dramatic effect. Only the heartless could look upon the situation and not feel broken over what many are going to have to go through. While America is generally considered quite generous in reaching out to the less fortunate, the truth is that Californians are about to see just how poor we really are at being able to make a difference in the lives of the needy among us. However, if people, organizations, and communities arise who can effectively meet people and their families at their point of need while also equipping them to break the life-cycles that keep them trapped in dire straits, this budget crisis will actually have been an emancipation of sorts.
Are you ready to be part of that solution? To get further educated, consider using the resources that have been developed by Dr. Ruby Payne and Aha! Process, Inc. as a place to start writing a new chapter for the needy in your community!
