This morning, I participated in a 5K charity fundraising walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. We walked around the outside of Dodger Stadium, and then around the track at the edge of the baseball field itself (fabulous fun for a fan like me - I could actually see what it looks like from the players' POV - what a gas!)
The fundraising "team" I participated with was in memory of a young girl in our SGI-USA district who died of undiagnosed juvenile diabetes a couple of years ago. There were 38 registered members of the "team", each committed to raising at least $100 in pledges. Of those 38 team members, only three (that's right, 3) were members of the SGI-USA, not including the mother and grandmother of the lovely young girl in whose memory we were walking. I don' t quite know what to say about this.
Another dear, dear friend of mine was also at the walk. She has been active for years in fundraising for research regarding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). She started this important volunteer work after losing her infant son of less than one month [as an aside, I hope to see an experience from this wonderful friend about her amazing "poison into medicine" Buddhist experience in a future edition of the SGI-USA's study magazine, "Living Buddhism"]. For years, she worked her petite ballerina buns off organizing an annnual SIDS fundraising walk,and for years there was a very, very small show of support from the SGI's members at the actual event. In fairness, I should note that my friend was always able to get an SGI leader to make a presentation on Buddhism as part of the inter-faith porthion of her fundraising event.
We stood together and remarked on the low turn-out of Gakkai members for the juvenile diabetes event today. I mean, my God - a child died in our district! You'd expect to see a huge turnout from the SGI - maybe a banner or something! I'd get behind that in a heartbeat (maybe next year). But my friend sadly noted that even when she was running her SIDS fundraising walks, not a lot of support came from other members of the organization.
"But didn't that improve over the years? Didn't more people come out later on than at the beginning?" I asked. She shook her head. Only I and a few other stalwarts, including some very gifted entertainers who lent their singing voices to the formal presentations came out regularly from the SGI to support this strong Buddhist woman's charity work.
Why is this? I don' t know. But I for one am glad and proud that I showed up today. Does this work differently in different parts of the country? Is it just LA that is lagging on this front, or is this sluggishness general, throughout the SGI-USA? I guess I'm feeling a bit cranky about this. Something more for my famous "washing daimoku" - poison into medicine time!
Be healthy, test your blood sugar, be cool.
Byrd in LA
My own experience has been that if something is not an official "SGI activity," SGI members generally will not come out for it. Perhaps, they feel like they are doing their part just by being SGI members.
Posted by: Michele at November 5, 2007 09:48 AMByrd,
I would attest your results to your area. The SGI doesn not take an active role in fund raising issues of the local community, they leave that up to us; the local community.
I would not expect the SGI membership to do more than the local community, that is not the SGI's reason for being.
The SGI's membership is a reflection of the local community and nothing more than that.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at November 5, 2007 10:32 AMI know it's not the SGI's reason for being, Patrick - I didn't say that it was. I'm just amazed that in one of the largest districts in our area (on the verge of splitting into three districts, actually), only three people showed up to support the efforts of someone who actually lost a child.
Both of the women I mentioned lost a child, and neither of them saw significant turn-outs from their "friends" in the SGI at their charity events. It just seems strange to me. People don't check their consciences at the door when they join our organization, do they?
There were probably thousands of people at this juvenile diabetes event -- I'm just remarking at the low turn out of Bodhissatvas of the Earth, that's all. I'm not expecting the SGI to do "more than the local community", Patrick, I would just like to see the SGI membership be less conspicuously absent. Does anyone else here feel that SGI members' support for each other should be limited to official activities? To only those things that the "SGI does"?
Thanks,. Byrd in LA
Byrd,
I think having three members participate is a great opportunity and showing for the community.
Perhaps more people would be better, but maybe the three people that showed up will make a difference.
I think it is in how each of us views the situation at hand, positive or negative.
Stand alone spirit is essential in matters that mean the most to each of us, I think.
Perhaps the youth diabetes participants can make a presentation to others in the SGI to remind them of the opportunities that exist for being BOE's.
Patrick
Posted by: Patrick at November 5, 2007 01:33 PMI'll try to discuss it with those "up the line". thanks,Patrick. Byrd in LA
Posted by: Byrd in LA at November 5, 2007 01:43 PMHello Patrick:
"Stand alone spirit is essential in matters that mean the most of each of us,..." You think? Nice generalization. Now, please give me an example of how you have applied the "stand alone spirit" to matters that mean the most to you? I spent years applying stand alone spirit. I applied it in the case of the deaths of my sister (suicide), my father (alcoholism), and yes, my own child. I applied it to many, many matters that were important to me. Guess what? It sucks. Stand alone spirit is one of the most destructive and abusive notions the SGI ever came up with and served up to members. It has caused great suffering to many people. Patrick, I don't know how old you are, or how long you have been an SGI member. But I ask you to really look at some of the beliefs you have internalized. Try to look at them objectively. Ask youself where that belief came from, and who does it benefit. Whose experience is it really about? I've been reading your responses to the posts here, and basically it seems to me that you are parroting SGI verbiage, rather than responding authentically from your own heart and mind.
Just my observations.
Ashley
Patrick's been at it more than 30 years, Ashley.
From my POV, a lot of the Gakkai's slogans appear to be aimed at the Japanese market. For that culture, "standing alone" and "standing up against injustice" are radical and new ideas which help people in that culture do their human revolution. They don't always work for us in the US, particularly when there's injustice in the organization itself.
That's my take on the stand alone thing, anyway.
Thanks for reading. Best, Byrd in LA
Interesting viewpoint that the members in this one district's lack of support, in your perspective, somehow translates to the SGI as a whole. SGI-USA members are allowed to lead their lives as they see fit and membership in a district does not automatically constitute joined at the hip activities. I have found sgi-usa members to generally be extremely supportive in times of suffering. Maybe some people were at work, maybe some people didn't know about it. Maybe some people weren't close to the family or did not feel in a position to committ to raising money. Did you check how many phone calls or home visits they did to the affected family? How about the amount of daimoku they chanted in support of this family? Next time, perhaps you can distribute a memo to your district on proper grief support. Or, more importantly, what did you do to organize the district membership in support of this suffering family in their hour of need?
Posted by: Joe Stanford at February 28, 2008 05:06 PMHi, Joe - we did a lot, chanted with them, I followed up with them in regard to a legal action which was pending (I have some legal experience). I also did communicate with people in the District, making sure they knew about the fund-raising event. I personally visited with them a number of times, as did others.
I don't think we always need to be "joined at the hip", but I do think it's interesting that other churches manage to get out with a church banner and lots of support - especially for causes which have impacted their memberships. The SGI generally doesn't.
Thanks for wrriting in, Byrd in LA
Posted by: Byrd in LA at March 4, 2008 08:29 AM