Third World Perspective

September 23rd, 2008 at 09:40am Keith Hemstreet 8

I recently returned from a trip to Africa. When you return from Africa people often ask, “So, how was Africa?” Most do so out of courtesy, and realizing this, my answers have typically been short.

“Africa was amazing,” I’ll say.
“Really?” they'll say.
“Yeah.”
“Oh, I bet.”

They then move on to whatever else it was they are doing, confirming that they really weren’t all that interested in the first place. However, yesterday I was talking to a friend who was in fact interested in Africa and wanted to know what I had taken from the experience. His questions prompted me to really analyze what I had seen and felt while traveling through South Africa, Botswana and Zambia.

“Now that I am back in the U.S. there are a few things that stand out to me,” I said to my friend. “First, we have no problems here. What I mean is that in comparison to what people face in Africa our problems are insignificant. We don’t realize that unless we are able to travel beyond U.S. borders to see with our own eyes how people live in the third world. People here talk about the mortgage crisis, the collapse of Wall Street, the possibility of another Great Depression. Serious problems, yes, but the unfortunate people who are defaulting on loans and being forced from their homes are not moving into shanties built of recycled garbage, mud and sticks. They’re moving into a less expensive home or apartment with electricity, running water that you can drink straight from the tap, a refrigerator to store food, a functioning bathroom. The Wall Street executives who are losing their bonuses or even being laid off will not have to resort to stealing food and clothing from their neighbor. The worst elements of another Great Depression in America would be considered posh living compared to what those in most African neighborhoods contend with their entire lives. Which leads to another thought. Maybe an economic collapse is exactly what we deserve. We waste so much it makes me crazy. One day we followed the bushman of the Kalahari into the desert to find food and water. Here they are digging three feet into the sand to extract a gourd, which they shave into a pulp and squeeze a few sips of water out of. That may be all the water they have in an entire day, and yet, there we were, the American tourists, with backpacks full of bottled spring water. I couldn’t help but feel ashamed.”

“Another thing I’ve noticed is that I’ve become quite cynical about the way we live,” I said. “I agree that people deserve to live to whatever means they can afford. If they’ve worked hard and made money in their lives they have the right to enjoy the fruits of their labor. What I am having a hard time with is the superficial nature of so many people. You hear it in our conversations. The day after I got back I was waiting in line at the coffee shop and overheard two young mothers lamenting over which SUV to buy, the Mercedes or the BMW. To them, this was really a dilemma. God forbid they make the wrong decision and have to deal with buyer’s remorse. I could hardly stand listening to them. I know I have no right to be upset with these women. Society has deemed these things important. And maybe that’s it. The things we consider important are so far out of whack. It’s needs versus wants. We are well beyond getting what we need and so we focus on what we want. An economic crisis might shift our focus. We’d be forced to reassess our lifestyle, to minimize our waste, to pursue only the things we need. My wife’s grandmother grew up in the depression era and for the rest of her life she never threw away anything that could be used again. She had an entire drawer filled with plastic spoons and forks she’d brought home from various restaurants. I think we need to get back to that way of thinking.”

My friend is a minimalist himself and we spent the rest of the morning being cynical together. It wasn’t until later that I realized I was nothing more than a hypocrite. I work in pursuit of money and wealth. There are things that I certainly don’t need, but I want. I waste. I guess, to a large degree, we are all products of our environment and even when we are aware of the things we wish we could change in ourselves, doing so is not that easy.

Entry Filed under: Aspen, Travel