Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.
No one tried to embrace the spirit of the above proverb more whole-heartedly than the nineteenth century visionary Jane Addams. Even though born into a very wealthy family of Illinois, Addams was not impervious to the woes of the down-trodden. Moreover, she understood that the long-term solution to the problem of inequality inflicting the human society lay in empowering the individual, and not in enabling him/her. During one of her visits to Europe, awed by the settlement homes in London, she returned to the U.S. to found the Hull House complex, in a destitute neighbourhood in downtown Chicago. It was to be the country's first settlement home, and would become the standard bearer for the 500 others, which burgeoned nationwide, in the next 40 years. It was here that Addams decided to move her precious possessions, including books, paintings, objects d'art, and even heirloom silver, and welcomed people from all walks of life to capitalise on them. For, Addams was convinced that beauty and knowledge could stir the spiritual depth of an individual, and aid in drawing one out of the mechanical tedium of the daily life, to aspire for something higher.
Similar to settlement homes of London, where University students from affluent background mingled freely with the poor, without affectation, Addams's objective was to create an atmosphere of ease and self-esteem for those who came to the Hull house. Besides presenting an opportunity for the dispossessed and the uninitiated, to cultivate and enrich oneself from the refined home environment, the Hull House also helped create a network of family and neighbourly bonds. The volunteers who came, intrigued by Addams' social experiment, provided a complex learning platform, wherein anyone could take classes in subjects as varied as acting, weaving, carpentry, art history, philosophy and music! Before long, 2,000 people a day were thronging its premises, taking and teaching courses, offering and receiving day care, sharing experiences, and stories.
This was not rich serving the poor, for Addams abhorred the patronizing attitude of the former. Everyone here "worked and lived together in reciprocity, bridging social chasms", and most importantly, coming to understand one another. Apt in feeling the pulse of the adult immigrants, some of whom were still groping in the dark, as they tried to discover their new country, with a new culture, and a new language, she assigned them the role of caregivers for the local children, to ensure a mutual learning process, and help the next generation develop empathy and love for the continual influx of the alien population into the country.
In this day and age, when our country, and the world at large, is once again faced with a sagging social fabric, growing inequality, disputes over immigration, we can draw inspiration from the pioneering vision of the likes of Jane Addams. Her response to a similar set of problems, some 130 years ago, was far more revolutionary and effective than our own.
It's true that an approach like this could be very empowering. I think I've heard of Hull House in some other reading I've done. Thanks for reflecting back to give us a perspective for the future!
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