Gnu biek time again. Surreal really. Here it is winter, a bit of snow on the ground. a week ago I was in southeast Asia. A sucker punch of heat and humidity. Some other sucker punches too. A new bike is nifty and all, but how does that contextualize with the time I spent photographing the inhabitants of Phnom Penh's city dump. People that pick through a toxic garbage dump in the hopes of earning the equivalent off a quarter that day?
Gnu biek time again. Surreal really. Here it is winter, a bit of snow on the ground. a week ago I was in southeast Asia. A sucker punch of heat and humidity. Some other sucker punches too. A new bike is nifty and all, but how does that contextualize with the time I spent photographing the inhabitants of Phnom Penh's city dump. People that pick through a toxic garbage dump in the hopes of earning the equivalent off a quarter that day?
yes, I feel like a schmuck.
Just think, if you sold it and donated the revenue that kid would be set for life. I am sure you have two or three laying around anyway.
Wait, do you feel like a schmuck, or not? A defensive one, perhaps...
I feel like a schmuck who is a lot less tolerant of the knee-jerk cynicism that permeates our culture. Sarah hit the nail on the head. We are spoiled. Myself included.
And I suppose that you feel that it is your job to remind us of that? Just wondering. Hidden meanings on a subconscious level are way over my head. Problem solving 101: you shouldn't acknowledge a problem without providing a possible solution. Otherwise you look like a schmuck, as you yourself have already stated, with ulterior motives. I was maybe just providing you with a possible solution.
And I suppose that you feel that it is your job to remind us of that? Just wondering. Hidden meanings on a subconscious level are way over my head. Problem solving 101: you shouldn't acknowledge a problem without providing a possible solution. Otherwise you look like a schmuck, as you yourself have already stated, with ulterior motives. I was maybe just providing you with a possible solution.
Foremost, apologies if I sounded harsh. It just struck me funny that I was being called to task for supposedly having all kinds of bikes lying around, when in reality I sold off all of my mountain bikes to pay for a trip to Cambodia in which I did a fair amount of volunteer work.
I am not sure if every problem has a concrete solution. And maybe merely acknowledging problems IS a worthwhile exercise. A week ago I spent time with Scott Neeson, the director of the Cambodian Children's Fund. We walked through Steung Meanchey, which is the district of Phnom Penh that contains the city dump. What I saw there was truly humbling. But it did reinforce how lucky we are. How much we take for granted.
Sad indeed. I have seen and lived in extreme poverty as well. I do not know that we have the power to change it but I do know we are doing very little about it.
From someone who comes from a four world country ( ok I made that up but it does feel and looks like one ) I certainly appreciate most of the things most people take for granted. Any time I go back to my country I come back here feeling richer and at the same time shitty-ier for not having the power to change things for my friends, family and people in general who has to live deprived of the most elemental things and freedoms that make us human.
We do not have the tools or the will to change things arround and the efforts of so very few are simpy not enough to produce a substancial change.
We do not have the tools or the will to change things arround and the efforts of so very few are simpy not enough to produce a substancial change.
ahhhh...
Uhhh, actually technology wise (tools) the human race is more than developed enough to be able to create a system in which everyone can live happily and healthy with all of lifes neccessities. Peoples state of mind is the ONLY problem. People suck.
Most people will blame others for just about anything bad that happens, but rarely do they look inside themselves to look for those same and other bad things, and they ARE there. The truth is brutal.
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