One of the true pleasures of Love Has No Color is the emails and social media input we receive. The amazing input about how our how our project helps kids regain their hope, health, and dignity on the Fort Peck Reservation and beyond. Most of the correspondence is very encouraging with a lot of gratitude. Unfortunately we do get feedback from people who don’t believe in a brighter future for these kids.
A resident of the Fort Peck Reservation said that we’re wasting our time. It doesn’t matter how many gifts, food, love, compassion, and encouragement we offer: it’s a hopeless case.
You’re wasting your time helping these kids she said with a lot of emphasis.
She isn’t alone and I don’t blame her for her pessimism. She has obviously experienced the 3rd world conditions firsthand. She has witnessed death, illness, and hatred in spades. Her daughter is a victim of violence, abuse, and alcohol. We know that this is a chronic problem that isn’t going away overnight.
The government has attempted to solve this problem to the best of their abilities. It’s not good enough and it won’t get the job done.
People, not government, agencies or companies will change this paradigm rather than fix the ‘Indian Problem’ or figure it out.
There are no solutions within the current paradigm. Einstein once said (paraphrased here) the people who created the problem, cannot solve the problem. A new paradigm must be created that will end the wretched conditions of the old paradigm.
I told her that everything that LHNC does is a step in the right direction. It’s not a complete solution in itself, it is a step.
The journey of a 1,000 miles starts with the first step.
I invited her to help us distribute gifts in December to the kids. I said I was sorry that during her lifetime she didn’t see any changes but these kids are. They’ll see this change and will help make the Reservation a place where people want to stay. Fort Peck will be a prosperous Reservation that will serve as an example to inspire others to follow suit.
Together, we will create a new paradigm and a brighter future for these kids.