What does it mean to be on the outside?

Last night we had community night with Meg our Area Director for Jesuit Volunteer Corps. We read an article by C.S. Lewis, whom I love, that talked about being in the inner ring of a group or a part of the outer ring. It made me think about the times that I've been in the outer ring, and the times that I've been in the inner. I also started looking at all the people in society that are a part of the outer ring. How do we decide who is the inner and who is the outer? It makes me think back to 1st and 2nd grade when there was no cool group. Everyone was just friends. Then suddenly something shifts and if you happen to be doing or wearing the wrong thing on the day that decides what is cool, then you are a part of the outer ring. I think about my job as a Jesuit Volunteer. I work at a homeless family shelter and also work with people living in affordable rental and home ownership units. I think about the ways that these people are marginalized by society. Boston is one of the most expensive cities to live in and there is a big call for affordable housing. People are losing their homes for all sorts of reasons. These people are then looked down upon by society because they can't keep their homes. People are also looked down upon by society if they choose a job that makes less money. I'm wondering when the American dream became all about money. The jobs that I feel passionate about are never going to make a lot of money. I want to work for non-profits. People who devote their lives to great causes are looked down upon as well. I tell people that I'm volunteering for a year and living on $85 a month, and they laugh and tell me I'm crazy (granted not everyone has reacted that way, but a lot of people have). Why is it crazy to care about society? Why is it crazy to strive for justice....especially in a place like America? Being in JVC has given me a new outlook on life. I've spent a lot of my life being in the outer ring. I had friends there, but I was never one of the cool kids. I feel blessed for never having been a cool kid because it has given me greater understanding of myself. I'm a cool and unique person. I'm valuable even if not everyone sees that. I will not make a lot of money, but at least I'll be happy, and know that I'm bringing some sort of justice to the world.



The book this time is: Meritocracy and Economic Inequality (Kenneth Arrow)