February 11, 2008

Say It Ain't So, Rohit

Those readers who have only recently joined me in the meaningless and ultimately futile enterprise known as my life—I mean, the Realm—may justly assume that the purpose of this blog (insofar as it has one) is to indulge the self-absorbed, narcissistic tendencies of its (optimistically) cynical author as he drifts aimlessly in a turbulent sea of mediocrity, loneliness, and despair. While this may indeed be what the illustrious Realm is about these days, incoherent rambling about mediocrity, loneliness, and despair was not where it got its start. In its original manifestation, the Realm existed for two purposes: (1) to counteract a world obsessed with and deluded by theoretical agents of purported happiness such as love, marriage, and children; and (2) to hate on bums. In a much-referenced entry last year, I acknowledged my shameful hypocrisy with respect to the former; today, I shall do so with respect to the latter. Say it ain't so, Rohit. Say it ain't so.

As even a cursory reading of the archive should reveal, I have had a tenuous relationship with the homeless communities in both Berkeley and San Francisco over the years (though, interestingly, this has not carried over to Chicago, perhaps because Hyde Park is not plagued by the homeless, only criminals and vagabonds). Between battling the awful menace in the laundromat during sophomore year and combating cracked-out bums in and around San Francisco, one might assume that this teeming mass of society's least privileged individuals might represent the proverbial bête noir of my (necessarily futile) life—and to an extent, it is true. But my penchant for hypocrisy transcends irrational vitriol: since 2006, I have been involved with the Taproot Foundation, a non-profit consultancy that works with other non-profits to increase their impact in the community, primarily through assistance in branding, marketing, strategy, and information technology. In particular, over the years I have worked as a web developer on two engagements to deliver redesigned web sites to two Bay Area non-profits working with homeless communities in Oakland and Berkeley, respectively.

I just wrapped up the second engagement this weekend, and the new site is now live over at self-sufficiency.org (my specific role was in backend development and integration with the content management engine). I know this must come as a shock for readers who have been with me for the long haul, but I am not even going to attempt to justify my actions; it is probably better that way.

Like I said earlier, if you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. For those of you out in the Bay looking to get involved, check out BOSS. They are located in downtown Berkeley, and it is a good cause. If nothing else, do it for the ironic value. As for me, I may be going on a hiatus for a while so that I can concentrate on finishing up my 1L year, but Taproot has a Chicago office; I will probably return in the fall. Who knows what good I will do then. Hopefully not too much; I have a reputation to maintain.