A SIMPLE LIFE
on My VSO Ethiopian Adventures (Ethiopia), 16/Nov/2010 10:32, 34 days ago
Searching for this seems to be a major driver for many people to do a VSO placement. I did not count it as such for myself, but I know that in our sophisticated, chaotic, over regulated and controlled society there is a recurring theme of searching for this idyll.However, let us examine the reality of living in a society which in theory would seem to offer the concept of a simple life.Another word could be narrow. Lives here could be viewed as lived in a narrow, unfulfilled existence where there is a lack of stimulation and interest, but this view sees these lives entirely with the eyes of one who can compare, whose concept of stimulation is very different to that of an Ethiopian. It assumes this is what is wanted and that the typical frame of reference here is the same as mine. This assumption would result in hundreds and thousands of indigenous Ethiopians being totally frustrated with their lot in life and hankering after– more to life. As you may surmise nothing is further from the truth. That description resonates more with our own western experience of life and we are the ones who have access to everything we could possibly want to satisfy our lives.Firstly people here work hard and for longer hours and thus this fills more hours in the day than it does in more technologically advanced countries. There is no extra-curricula activity around clubs and societies, no theatres or art galleries, no organised community events and no opportunities for personal development and learning or holidays away. Please let me add, there may well be in the capital and I’m sure that there are specialised and isolated occurrences, but for the majority of the population, their lives consist of a lot of time spent earning a living, family, household duties/chores, engagement with their religion and its activities, and of course the ubiquitous TV (big satellite dishes are as common as water tanks around here). This pattern IS satisfaction, interest and stimulation in a developing country.Is this a simple life or a narrow life, or just life for millions on our planet? These evaluative descriptions are ours alone, mine alone as I perceive, judge and evaluate the world in which I currently live, because I am able to.A lack of resources, fundamentally monetary of course, drives this traditional pattern to a large extent, yet there is an acceptance, an equilibrium and balance to these lives, tailored to the needs of the environment and daily and seasonal patterns that leads to harmony, good relationships, roles for everyone, a sense of place, belonging and loyalty; all performed with the strong mortar of religious and societal mores or code of conduct. All very different to our diminishing value systems and reference points in the west.We are so lucky that our wealth has created so many opportunities for us to find personal satisfaction in our lives and fulfil our interests, talents and potentials as creative human beings beyond what for many is not possible within paid employment, and I do not dispute that as societies develop and work becomes less dominant, human beings should be offered the opportunity of more choice and freedom over their lives with the commensurate opportunities for relaxation, recreation and personal fulfilment. But here is the trade off as ever, we lose that sense of rhythm and balance to life, a sense of certainty, feeling located and belonging, where our daily activities have a purpose and a meaning in the raw context of existence. Without these restrictions and structure many of us are inclined to wallow around trying to decide what we ought to be doing with our time and our lives and what the meaning to it all is. What a misplaced luxury!So often external factors drive the outcome; we do what we think others expect of us, what external drivers say we ought to be doing or not doing, and of course the social status seeking and approval seeking outcomes are there also to differentiate ourselves rather than to belong. Lastly, those who are not capable for reasoning through an answer end up engaged in social or personal destructive activities. Anything that, in a misguided attempt, will help us avoid dissatisfaction with our lives and find happiness beyond ourselves. No chance of that sort of psychology here! Not many self help books sold here!So what is a simple life? Again I would suggest this concept comes with the luxury of wealth, where with the freedom and money, we can pick and choose those activities we want to engage with and those we don’t, in an environment or setting that suits our needs, perhaps a rural retreat in France, with most mod cons! - lucky us!I am musing on this as this aspect of life here is particularly challenging for me. Yes work is busy and quite demanding, but it has clear cut start and finish points, unlike my work in the UK, and outside of work, as we don’t have many household chores, have no family, or immediate friends around and are not engaged in religious activities, life is very – well, narrow! Very different to my life back home full of frenetic activity with plenty of stimulation. Lots of opportunity for learning here I’m sure!What am I missing in this perceived narrow or simple life? I do miss intellectual stimulation– just being with and having decent conversations with friends and other interesting and stimulating people and access to the BBC and the British media! I miss an international perspective and feeling that I am linked to the rest of the world. We have discovered back copies of Time and Newsweek are sold locally and I am aware that I need to get a subscription to a British publication that sends overseas. Other ‘misses’ include going to the gym and being able to go for long walks/hikes, and visits to the cinema and theatre.However, I also reflect on this on behalf of colleagues at the university.I am conscious that at the university here there are so many astute, intelligent and capable people who can not realise their full potential and I feel that these people must be to some extent aware that there is more in life‘out there’ that they could benefit from. This is where the description of narrow becomes more apt. I hope I will have an opportunity to explore this with some of them.