When one thinks of Martin Luther King Jr., one often thinks of how he believed in social justice, equality, perseverance, and improving the lives of others. I felt that this quote captured all of that beautifully and wanted to share … Continue reading
I’m snuggled up cozy in my bed on this frigid and snowy November night, fairly certain that the January weather has come far too soon, when I stumble across something that warms my soul: meliorism.
I’m a lover of language. I’m fascinated by powerful and inspiring words, particularly ones that encompass complex ideologies and deeper meaning. Feelings, ideas, and the world around us can be difficult to describe, it’s rare to find one word that captures it all so perfectly.
“Meliorism is the belief that the world gets better, as a result of the belief that humans can improve the world”
Some may call this naive, unrealistic, perhaps even ignorant. I, however, choose to believe that it is equally beautiful and inspiring. It makes me reflect on my initial purpose for embarking on my social work journey. At its very core, isn’t social work fueled by the desire to change the world?
No matter how minuscule our contributions feel, we all have “orenda”. Iroquois have coined orenda as being a mystical force present in all people that empowers them to affect the world. It’s a lovely thing to have such faith and optimism in humanity, something I sometimes feel is unfortunately diminishing quickly.
Whether you’re an advocate in the political sector or a caseworker performing home assessments, we as social workers all provide a contribution to the bigger picture. It’s through this belief that we can–and will–create change. Having faith in meliorism will fuel our inner orenda, making the world a better place one step at a time.
CONFESSIONS OF AN ASPIRING SOCIAL WORKER 