Meeting Human Needs
A reaction and a comment.
An emphasis on meeting human needs seems admirable, but in a culture that privileges individual “fulfillment” and emphasizes possessions, the result may be disappointing.
I see this in higher education. “We put the students first.” It looks good on promotional brochures. But what it actually means is that we put a lot second. Priorities have a habit of chocking off other growth.
Higher education should “serve” society and the values and abilities that create the foundation for a sustainable and flourishing future for our world.
And this is not just a problem for education. Across the board our emphasis on providing satisfaction to “customers” narrows our thinking. It is true of local government. We want more “likes” on social media. When you come to think about it, you find it a focus of most of what we do.
“Pleasing” is our way of acquiring returns. I write the poetry you love to read. I sing the songs you want to hear. I medicate the immediate pain and I seek to brush aside the present inconvenience. Yours and mine. Yours in the hope you will reciprocate --- or pay. Mine because it is just.
It all come back to the self. If we keep selfishness at a remove (we are pleasing others), it doesn’t make us virtuous. The reward is in the mail.
I think we just have a hard time figuring out the best, most effective way to allocate resources. We can do better. I've seen cases in the mental health and substance abuse fields that missed who the actual customer is. Imagine this. A person is sentenced for a DUI. Among other things, the judge orders alcohol rehabilitation. The judge sees his order as a remedy in a case involving the all of us who could be harmed by a drunk driver. And imagine the person shows up at a place that provides said counseling via state/federal funded services. There are a number of providers largely because of privatization. In the medical model, the person is the one harmed by the DUI and it's called "Person Centered". So the person shops around for the provider they like the most, which isn't really what I think the judge had in mind with the sentence. Let's figure out who the customer is for the service and who should direct it. I see a different scenario for the person who seeks services and directs them.