Learning to do without
May 23, 2006
I’m struggling here.
On the one hand I want nothing more then Mali to be prosperous. I want the country to become viable. I want the people to eat and grow and move forward.
What does that mean exactly? There are several Malian families around us who have purchased Mercedes’ and computers and all the trappings of Western culture. Is that really what I want?
The natives here live off of the land. They grow what they need to eat, they manufacture what they need to live, and they get by with what they have.
One of the things that I have learned about living here is to fix my own problems. If something doesn’t work, I must devise a way to fix it. There is no Home Depot, no Target, and no Schuck’s. If the car doesn’t run, I must fix it with what I have. I never would have believed that I could do so much with so little. The ultimate question is, “Can I fix it with what I have at hand?” If not, then it remains broken.
Picture yourself in the times of the pioneers. They found a plot, harvested the trees to build a house, diverted the stream to grow crops, and created what they needed to live. That is life here; if you cannot find it in the village, then develop a plan to fix it yourself.
From a Western perspective, it is incredibly frustrating. When I stand back and look at the life the people have, I have to reconsider. I could not sustain their life. I could not live in a mud hut for long before I would go crazy.
On the other hand, is a new Mercedes really what the family needs? I am at a loss. I really want the Malians to be prosperous, but I have no need for another Capitalist economy driving the poor laborer into the ground.
The Malians are beautiful people. They are kind, unassuming, gentle, and extremely trustworthy. Isn’t this what we would wish from everyone? How can this culture be maintained while implementing programs to eradicate Malaria, hunger, and high infant mortality? I don’t think it can. On the other hand, I want the Malians to be successful. I want to see more of their children living past their fifth birthday. I want to see the life expectancy rate pass fifty years old. Can this happen without injecting the Western idea of success?
I admire the resourcefulness of this culture. I appreciate the fact that they make do with what they have. Nothing gets thrown out here. Save it and use it again or pass it on to someone else who has need of it. What a way to live! Most of the garbage I see along the roadside is of Western making; plastic bags, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. There is no way to deal with these things so they blow around on the road, eventually finding a home among the brush.
Left to their own devices, these things would not exist, but the natives would have no hope of progressing into the 21st century. Maybe that’s okay, considering that they have no electricity, no telephones (now they have cell phones, but they have never had land lines), and no contact with the rest of the world. Their transition to the 21st century then is a really big leap!
Should I be frustrated? Maybe I should be grateful that I have been given the opportunity to see that Home Depot, and Target, and Schuck’s really aren’t as necessary as I previously believed them to be…
MJR
I’m struggling here.
On the one hand I want nothing more then Mali to be prosperous. I want the country to become viable. I want the people to eat and grow and move forward.
What does that mean exactly? There are several Malian families around us who have purchased Mercedes’ and computers and all the trappings of Western culture. Is that really what I want?
The natives here live off of the land. They grow what they need to eat, they manufacture what they need to live, and they get by with what they have.
One of the things that I have learned about living here is to fix my own problems. If something doesn’t work, I must devise a way to fix it. There is no Home Depot, no Target, and no Schuck’s. If the car doesn’t run, I must fix it with what I have. I never would have believed that I could do so much with so little. The ultimate question is, “Can I fix it with what I have at hand?” If not, then it remains broken.
Picture yourself in the times of the pioneers. They found a plot, harvested the trees to build a house, diverted the stream to grow crops, and created what they needed to live. That is life here; if you cannot find it in the village, then develop a plan to fix it yourself.
From a Western perspective, it is incredibly frustrating. When I stand back and look at the life the people have, I have to reconsider. I could not sustain their life. I could not live in a mud hut for long before I would go crazy.
On the other hand, is a new Mercedes really what the family needs? I am at a loss. I really want the Malians to be prosperous, but I have no need for another Capitalist economy driving the poor laborer into the ground.
The Malians are beautiful people. They are kind, unassuming, gentle, and extremely trustworthy. Isn’t this what we would wish from everyone? How can this culture be maintained while implementing programs to eradicate Malaria, hunger, and high infant mortality? I don’t think it can. On the other hand, I want the Malians to be successful. I want to see more of their children living past their fifth birthday. I want to see the life expectancy rate pass fifty years old. Can this happen without injecting the Western idea of success?
I admire the resourcefulness of this culture. I appreciate the fact that they make do with what they have. Nothing gets thrown out here. Save it and use it again or pass it on to someone else who has need of it. What a way to live! Most of the garbage I see along the roadside is of Western making; plastic bags, plastic bottles, and aluminum cans. There is no way to deal with these things so they blow around on the road, eventually finding a home among the brush.
Left to their own devices, these things would not exist, but the natives would have no hope of progressing into the 21st century. Maybe that’s okay, considering that they have no electricity, no telephones (now they have cell phones, but they have never had land lines), and no contact with the rest of the world. Their transition to the 21st century then is a really big leap!
Should I be frustrated? Maybe I should be grateful that I have been given the opportunity to see that Home Depot, and Target, and Schuck’s really aren’t as necessary as I previously believed them to be…
MJR
posted by Bronx to Timbuktu at 4:28 PM
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