of altitude on one of the local ladies. The other half of the team are
getting their bags packed and they will all head out together tomorrow
morning at 7. I'll be working for the next couple of days with the
translator taking care of some purchases and shipping for the office.
After that I will be heading to another city to the southwest of here
to attend some meetings and also to see some of the foundations/icons
of this region's culture. Ecotourism as a path to economic development
and environmental protection is highly desired by the local leaders
and nature reserve- so some of the meetings will be with
travel/tourism groups in that city. I'm also hoping to get in touch
with another environmental NGO as well to see how their work is going.
As I walked home last night there were little fires on every corner
where people were bent over pouring out liquor and burning offerings
to their ancestors in the hopes that their spirits would provide them
with wealth. It was interesting- a tiny vestige of what must have once
been a rich and vibrant culture, but so sterile and lifeless compared
to the streets of southern India where the air reeks of incense and
food sacrifices; where flower laden idols mark nearly every corner. To
some, China may seem exotic and foreign- but in its worship of science
and economic growth against a drab backdrop of industrialization and
rampant urbanization- it is far more familiar than those streets of
India where hundreds of thousands of bulls wander without masters,
released every time the follower of a certain deity dies. It is far
more sanitary than Nepal where I've known not a soul to travel without
illness akin to amoebic dysentery; more equitable than Kathmandu where
I've seen feasts laid out for temple monkeys while children beg
wretchedly in the street. It is hard to say sometimes what is "good"
for "the people" and what parts of a culture need to be changed in
order to improve the lot of man. Throughout history millions have died
at the hands of those who thought- or at least claimed- they were
doing good. Here, many aspects of peoples lives have been improved,
yet many aspects of life were at the same time removed and the cost in
lives for the improvements was tremendous. For some parts of the
population, the process is still underway.
All this to say- I'm looking forward to seeing a bit more of the thick
and heavy parts of the region's culture. I'm looking forward to seeing
the places that people hold in their hearts with reverence and perhaps
be able to catch a glimpse of what once was and so maybe just maybe
get a tiny bit of understanding of "the people" before the peeling
away and washing off of life is complete. As Thoreau queried: "Could a
greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's
eyes for an instant?" And just before that he asked: "Who shall say
what prospect life offers to another?" For nine and a half years I've
known that I wanted to help people. I've wanted to expand the
prospects for
those who are limited- especially unjustly. But it would be a far too
common mistake not to work at seeing life through their own eyes.
