Author: adam.klein.2011

Good Afternoon everyone! Thank you again for stopping by Bear Jew Aboard.

For starters please allow me to explain a why I am writing an article instead of making a video this week. A few days ago my external hard drive, which is used for the storage of most of my video footage and video editing, suffered some damage. At the moment I am working to recover the data and repair it. To speed up the process I am limiting my computer usage. Making a video takes much more time, and slows my computer down, a considerable amount more than writing a short piece.

As I write this there are only three days left in Outreach 2, located in Milne Bay Province. Every day has seen us visit a new set of villages, and out the window right now is Fife Bay. Small islands speckle bright blue water and in the background are the lush green mountain sides of the main islands. Overall, it’s not a bad sight for an early morning writing session.

Most people ask, “How are you out there, Adam?” Jokingly I say, “I’ve never paid so much money to work so hard in my life.”

It’s always meant to get a laugh, but that statement is as factual as anything read in an encyclopedia. Often, I find myself working long hours, and cutting breaks short. On some occasions work will begin in the early hours to avoid the mass of people, and other times duty calls late at night. Even during off hours, I walk around with a small set of tools — that way on the off chance some work pops up, I don’t have to travel too far for the items I need.

“Why are you busting you tail so much?” I asked myself one day.

A typical commercial ship would reward this work with large sums of overtime pay or allow extra off time to balance out the extra work. Obviously, that is not the case here. The joke about overtime on board is you must pay twice as much to work it. Still though the question of why all the effort lingers. If there is no tangible reward for it.

The answer I gave to myself when originally prompted was, “If we don’t work on it, then who will?”

Hidden underneath the simplicity of that statement lies the true answer. As previously mentioned there is no monetary reward for any of the work on board here (that is not to say the contributions many of you have made are not appreciated, because they are greatly valued), so work is not influenced by the paycheck. However, that still leaves a question as to the source of the motivation.

Focusing on who we are doing everything for, as opposed to what we are doing, gives a clearer picture. When we say, “If we don’t do it then who will?” Our thoughts are not about getting the engine running, the freezer cool, or the sanitation system operational. Our thoughts are on the people the ship will help. If the engines don’t run how can the ship take the medical personnel to see the patients? If there is no way to store the food then how can anyone eat enough, and have energy for their long clinics or the strength to perform procedures on a rocking ship? If no one can take a shower, or use the toilet, how inclined to help will they be?

Not focusing on the work itself, or even the people it immediately benefits, but casting our eyes down the chain of good acts reveals  why we put forth so much effort. If more effort is put in now, more people can be seen by the doctors and nurses, more children will be vaccinated, and more women can see the mid-wives.

For a brief time in history naval battles were fought on ships powered by coal fired boilers. Huge teams of men would take in breaths filled with coal dust as they shoveled heaps of coal into fiery cauldrons. It was said, “You either fight a battle with a cannon, or with coal,” and some men would shout, “Take that you bastards!” as they heaved another helping of coal into the fire. They weren’t shouting at the fire they fed, the water being heated by that fire, or the engines powered by the steam generated by that water. They were shouting at the enemy their ship was facing, and they knew their contribution was just as important as the gunners, the cooks, and the captain.

When attention is shifted from the difficulty of the job itself, or the monetary reward for it, and is instead directed towards the result we can draw new resolve for our actions. When the result is helping people the work becomes its own motivation, which makes things a little better.

Once editing this article is complete, I’ll make a round of the engine spaces and ensure everything is operating as usual before I sit down and enjoy my bowl of cereal. Then it’s off to work. That work could be fixing toilets, repairing a water tank in a village, or crawling under bilges to work on the engines. Either way the work must get done, because if we don’t do it how can we help people?

Have a wonderful week everyone. I hope to be back to movie making soon. Please let me know if you would like more articles in the future.