I am not a fatalist. Perhaps, I’m naive. I keep up with foreign and domestic politics, generally, but perhaps not enough. From war to natural disaster, we all know that person who insists, the world is at a breaking point. I have faith, that as humans we will continue to innovate new solutions. While humanity has seen the depths of cruelty and disregard we are capable of, I honestly believe in the limitless kindness and ingenuity of human nature. While I think awareness is essential, obsessive focus on negative is of little use, and only results in extreme frustration. I generally stay away from topics such as this, in part because I’m tired of hearing these doom-day cries from people who continue to offer no solutions, as well as arguments for the sake of arguing and hearing oneself speak. And although I can’t pretend I have any real answers, the global politics of food and hunger are of immense interest to me.
Tag Archives: Reflections
Wanderlust
Zanzibar
“…leaving home means a loss of innocence, encountering uncertainty: the wider world has typically been regarded as haunted, a place of darkness.”
I love this, an excerpt written for a NYTimes piece by Paul Theroux. A great article. I’ve read some of his works, and immensely enjoyed “Dark Star Safari” after my first trip to Africa. Aside from an underlying arrogance in his writing, that sort of makes me want to punch him, I do actually quite like his writing and count him as one of my favorite travel authors.
Why I Volunteer
Somewhere Over Africa-Red Earth
It’s a question I’ve been asked a fair number of times. It’s also I question I find difficult to answer. In searching to articulate what drives me to volunteer, specifically, abroad I find a multitude of reasons. But I struggle to explain, fundamentally, why. I went to Africa for the first time for mostly selfish reasons. I would be lying if I said otherwise. Yes, I wanted to help, and to contribute in some capacity to those who were in need, but really I wanted to help myself. Specifically, find myself. I had grown up with a clear directive. Medical School. When I began to question my motivations and desire to be a physician my world was for the first time, completely uncertain. My goal, was to live abroad, to remove myself from the familiar, which often acts as a shelter-from ourselves, as well as the world. I wanted to get to know myself. This is what I thought anyway…
Week 3-Final Thoughts.
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| Sunset over Miraflores |
Colliding With The Earth 