Mod Post: Continue to do good.
"What ever happened to the New Orleans thing? Makes me weary sending a scan of my artwork to never hear anything about it again."
I received this comment on my personal journal on an entry regarding new year resolutions.
I owe a huge apology and an explanation.
There have been a great many failures in my life. In love, in friendship, in education, in work, and in philanthropic outreach. I've learned from each experience what not to do and what I should've done, but certainly not to give up. Because as many failures as I've suffered, I've seen how those failures have shaped me to refine my endeavors, pluck from me those things of idleness and irresponsibility - changing me from a selfish child into a less-selfish adult. It's a constant series of battles that one may win or lose, but the winning is in continuing the fight: against self, against injustice, for all those causes.
My boys George Bernard Shaw and Lloyd Jones believed that "a life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing" and "those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed."
C2A fell to pieces for a number of reasons. There was difficultly getting people to send in their release forms, we didn't have enough support financially to realistically produce the projects in the amount of time it needed to happen, and manpower was incredibly low. There were lots of people saying they wanted to help, but very few who actually did as they said. But these aren't the only faults. I was a perfectionist and a staunch believer in the whole "if you want something done correctly, do it yourself" theory and didn't fully trust the few people who *did* offer help. So I took on the project and after a few sleepless weeks, it proved to be too much for me. I tried to pass it on in its entirety to another person, but a few weeks later, it overwhelmed her as well. It took me out of the "helping" game for a while...I was discouraged and felt like I couldn't accomplish anything. But after a few month of reflecting on the problems I faced, both internal and external, I was ready to shake off the hopelessness of admitted defeat and I embarked on the journey called "The Factory." The story of a coffee shop, outreach, people saved and loved, and real true gritty life which lies in the digital pages of my journal. It's a story not yet concluded.
I didn't want to write this...to call attention to my shortcomings...to dredge up any hurt or disappointment or anger many of us have put to bed. But I'm hoping out of this comes a modicum of closure and a spark of hope.
I deeply apologize for the setback and discouragement C2A was and caused and all my part in that. I apologize frequently. But I won't apologize for continuing to strive to do good and effect change, despite being completely imperfect and I hope you won't either. Everyone who was involved in this community had passion, even if only for a time. Please don't let the "failure" of this one project leave such a bitter taste in your mouth that your ambition and willingness to make a difference dies. Do what we didn't. Change the world.
"This thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." - Mary Pickford
I received this comment on my personal journal on an entry regarding new year resolutions.
I owe a huge apology and an explanation.
There have been a great many failures in my life. In love, in friendship, in education, in work, and in philanthropic outreach. I've learned from each experience what not to do and what I should've done, but certainly not to give up. Because as many failures as I've suffered, I've seen how those failures have shaped me to refine my endeavors, pluck from me those things of idleness and irresponsibility - changing me from a selfish child into a less-selfish adult. It's a constant series of battles that one may win or lose, but the winning is in continuing the fight: against self, against injustice, for all those causes.
My boys George Bernard Shaw and Lloyd Jones believed that "a life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent in doing nothing" and "those who try to do something and fail are infinitely better than those who try nothing and succeed."
C2A fell to pieces for a number of reasons. There was difficultly getting people to send in their release forms, we didn't have enough support financially to realistically produce the projects in the amount of time it needed to happen, and manpower was incredibly low. There were lots of people saying they wanted to help, but very few who actually did as they said. But these aren't the only faults. I was a perfectionist and a staunch believer in the whole "if you want something done correctly, do it yourself" theory and didn't fully trust the few people who *did* offer help. So I took on the project and after a few sleepless weeks, it proved to be too much for me. I tried to pass it on in its entirety to another person, but a few weeks later, it overwhelmed her as well. It took me out of the "helping" game for a while...I was discouraged and felt like I couldn't accomplish anything. But after a few month of reflecting on the problems I faced, both internal and external, I was ready to shake off the hopelessness of admitted defeat and I embarked on the journey called "The Factory." The story of a coffee shop, outreach, people saved and loved, and real true gritty life which lies in the digital pages of my journal. It's a story not yet concluded.
I didn't want to write this...to call attention to my shortcomings...to dredge up any hurt or disappointment or anger many of us have put to bed. But I'm hoping out of this comes a modicum of closure and a spark of hope.
I deeply apologize for the setback and discouragement C2A was and caused and all my part in that. I apologize frequently. But I won't apologize for continuing to strive to do good and effect change, despite being completely imperfect and I hope you won't either. Everyone who was involved in this community had passion, even if only for a time. Please don't let the "failure" of this one project leave such a bitter taste in your mouth that your ambition and willingness to make a difference dies. Do what we didn't. Change the world.
"This thing we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down." - Mary Pickford