all about love promises new visions. And indeed, bell hook’s idea of “a proactive new ethic for a people and a society bereft with lovelessness” made me wonder what would change if the proposed “love ethic” were the basis upon which practitioners in international cooperation worked. How would organizations be structured? How would the work culture change? What impact would it have on performance, results, and most importantly, people’s well-being?
The working conditions in international cooperation can be difficult due to the challenging contexts people work and live in, the frequent traveling, the pressure to secure funding for projects, the unstable and highly competitive job market, and an increasingly limited pool of resources. In addition, there are power dynamics at play. (Neo-)colonialism, white saviorism, patriarchy, capitalism, racism, sexism, homo- and transphobia, among others, shape the way the so-called “international community” operates. Thereby, the system perpetuates structural and cultural violence within its own community and beyond, creating divisions rather than connections. For many reasons, this is largely left unaddressed at an individual and systemic level. While staff well-being policies are developed and can be referred to if needed, this often requires an individual proactive effort. In other words, these policies are not at the heart of our work culture. As a result, people become stressed, bitter, cynical, and unhappy. In fact, cynicism is seen as a necessary coping mechanism and burnouts are normalized. All of this impacts the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of professionals in the sector and their interactions with external partners. Ultimately, it leads to frustration and disconnection between the humanitarian professionals and the people they are working with/for.
In such an environment, it takes courage to openly and honestly express care, affection, respect, commitment, and trust in internal and external work relations. All of which are elements that hooks uses to define what love is. As a result, the work environment becomes – as most places in modern society, according to hooks – a place where love is lacking, and people are encouraged to adapt to such loveless circumstances. A way out of this, suggested by hooks, is to embrace a ‘love ethic’. While it might indeed take courage to embrace a love ethic, it is a rewarding path. Love lays the foundation for constructive community building. It teaches us to be generous and willing to make sacrifices. This, in turn, reminds us of our interdependency. Therefore, choosing to embrace a love ethic brings us closer to the values that should guide this kind of work in the first place. hooks encourages us to recognize love as an action that is informed by intention and will and has consequences. Love becomes more than a feeling that we have no control over, and we begin to assume responsibility for it. The principles of a “love ethic” are essential to any type of humanitarian work, i.e., showing care, respect, knowledge, integrity, and the will to cooperate.
This humanitarian work is informed by our different identities and positionalities. However, it is also rooted in the values that we uphold. While the former is not something I can change, the latter is in my hands. It is up to me as an individual to define what values guide me in my life and work and how I choose to nurture and practice them. bell hooks’ “all about love” offers us ideas on how to do that. Taking it from there, we can build communities and hold institutions accountable for their responsibility to encourage the development and sharing of strategies to become more loving.
