Earthquake.
Tsunami.
Hurricane.
Monsoon.
Volcano.
And to the people of Kansas, tornado.
All destructive forces. All beyond our control.
I live in the shadow of a volcano, on the edge of a tectonic plate. I've lived in other earthquake zones and in a tornado alley.
The only place I've lived that isn't prone to any of these natural disasters is West Africa. They've go no major fault lines, no monsoons, no hurricanes or blizzards. Yet they live in a poverty so deep it seems impossible to dig them out.
I heard a bit of hope yesterday on, of all places, The Splendid Table. Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell shared the story of Ireland, a country that, 100+ years ago, epitomized famine with 1 million dead of hunger, 1 million dead of disease and another million fleeing the country for other lands. Now Ireland has the 2nd highest standard of living in the world.
We can't do anything about the disasters beyond our control, but perhaps we can learn some lessons from Ireland and find a way to free Africa of its hunger.
1 comment:
I read an author once who had lived in both Singapore and Ethiopia. According to him, roughly 50 years ago they were at the same level economically. Ethiopia was rich with natural resources, Singapore had none, except its harbor. Where are they today? Why the difference?
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