Doing good deed has always been one of my aspirations. Even though I am neither a doctor, a nurse (or a human right lawyer), I still believe that there are things that can be do as I came across the idea of effective altruism a while ago.
Humanitarian work is probably a highly misunderstood field (there are more than doctors and nurses!); the work itself is not all glorious / rainbow and unicorn. When people and competition for power is in place, there is politics; when there is politics, things get murky Nevertheless, it is still very respectable effort.
After some searches and reading, I found out this topic about humanitarian diplomacy, which I believe are in need of people who are flexible, have good business and common senses (more than anything).
In the past few weeks, I joined a series of workshop /seminar offered by ICRC with a group of bright-eyed university students and young graduates. While I may have yet to find my ticket to my journey to make a better place (in a major way), it was a thought-provoking experience.
Every participants will have their own “take-home”, and I’d love to share mine here; hopefully, to inspire/provoke others :)
1. There Will Always Be Wars
I remember when we were kids, my classmates and I used to wish world peace in our Christmas and new year cards (how noble!). Honestly, back then wars were so far away, and the disasters that we usually heard about were the floods in China. We put that in, mostly because everyone does that and it seemed nice to be nice and to care about the greater good.
Only when we were older, especially around the time of 911, we started to realize how not peaceful the world is. There were definitely wars here and there, but it was rarely covered in news here in Hong Kong (and my English was too bad to read from CNN/other sources). 911 / Taliban was like the first time reality hit for me (and possibly my peers).
Given the nature of humanity, there will always be conflicts and wars. The world has never been a truly peaceful in its entire history, and it is highly doubted that if it would ever be. With the development of technology nowadays, there could easily be more battlefield, but in the real world and virtual world.
The world has never been a truly peaceful in its entire history, and it is highly doubted that if it would ever be.
While there is nothing much that we can do to change the down side of human nature. It is impracticable to wish for world peace (like I did), that doesn’t mean that there is nothing that we can do with our good side — there is always way to prevent / control the damage.
2. It’s All About Damage Control
Given the sad truth that there could hardly ever be world peace, and it is impossible to stop entities from fighting against or harming one another, the most important part of humanitarian diplomacy is about damage control — how to minimize the damage done to war victims or the infrastructure of the region?
It is more about “ok, I know I can’t stop you from doing [xx], but could you let the civilians go / use a less destructive tactics etc..
It sounds logical, but not easy to execute without doubt all the time — can you imagine telling the general to shoot people with rubber bullet (instead of ammo)? We have a joke in cantonese about “打還打，唔好打面” and I think the idea is kind of similar.
Giving some “advice” that would inevitably still lead to some damage is kind of counter intuitive for “decent” or kind-hearted people. Level-headed-ness would be a key to evaluate the situation. I would even go so far to said that you need a certain degree of cold-bloodedness to perform well in this.
We know that human life a priceless, but we also know 10 people’s life probably worth more than 1 person’s. Bruises (or even broken bone) are better than fatal wound. It sounds intuitive, but it is difficult to not keep your thoughts away from the injured, the injury inflicted or the people you “sacrificed”.
Doing the best you can, keep your eyes on the bigger picture. It is mostly about damage control and precautions.
3. Importance of Neutrality.
Most of the time, we are seeing the world through a western lens. I believe that most reputable journalists are trying to be neutral, but it is basically impossible to not take side in the industry. Apart from the pressure to create an article that sells, it is also very difficult to not see the world with a world view that you are brought up / living in.
One thing to bear in mind is there is no absolute black and white — what you see as correct may not be “correct” in another context/culture. Furthermore, in a conflict situation, it is unlikely that one side can be purely right while the other is purely wrong.
Even if you are in a situation where there is an absolutely right side. It is very unlikely that you will be able to achieve anything, if you are just trying to “talk some sense to” one side.
In most situations, there are things that shouldn’t have been done to innocent civilians, and we could do something to help, to make sure that they treated as humanly as possible.
While there are other international organizations that are responsible for “policing” the world and making moral judgment, it is also important for there to be organizations/people that can effectively talk to both side, and to help the victims or minimize the impact. Trust is difficult to earn, and neutrality is one of the key ingredients to earning it.
It is very unlikely that you will be able to achieve anything, if you are just trying to “talk some sense to” one side.
4. Just Give Them a Reason
I am most definitely not a good negotiator, but I do believe that there is always a way to get people to talk, or even to do something. It is all about giving them a reason.
Many people assume that wars are created from shear madness, which is most definitely not true. People fight, harm, or argue with other people for something. That something can be resources, could be power, and could be ideology, or anything.
Apart from the bigger thing that they are fighting for, there are smaller thing that they want to take care of as well, like their “subject”, resources, etc.. Who would want a country with no subjects, no resources, basically a dump?
Sometimes, you could also remind them of the consequence as well (this one I think is more tricky; when it is deep in the war, people would probably lose sight on the future and are obsessed with the now.)
Deciding on what kind of resources to provide in exchange for an action, and what kind of action to requires are intricate decisions to be made. It is circumstantial, and probably take years of training to perfect.
However, the main idea is that, in nearly every circumstance, there is a way for you to get people to do or even to do something that they are reluctant to. Be realistic about what is achievable and be creative about your offer, and always do cost analysis.
After thoughts…
Few weeks of workshop can only give me a glimpse of it, but it does change my view on the area a bit and make humanitarian diplomacy work sounds more realistic, and in a way “approachable” to me or people like me.
The work could go “ugly” in some ways, and probably not for people who have a “pure” soul. It is constantly about playing around law (and accept its limitations), business decision and tactical negotiation. On the up side though, I think there are more of us who process these qualities than “having a super big heart”.
In a world where love is not the ultimate solution, humanitarian diplomacy has a huge role to play. Can’t wait to share more, especially if I am advancing to the next stage (hopefully).
Before then, so resources to share:
- About ICRC: https://www.icrc.org/en
- About Humanitarian Works undertaken by IFRC (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies): http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/principles-and-values
- If you are looking to develop your career in or gain further academic knowledge in human rights: https://www.humanrightscareers.com/courses/
- Effective Altruism: https://www.effectivealtruism.org/
- If you are looking to develop a “normal” career that can help solve the world’s problem at the same time: https://80000hours.org/
