Occupying Decency

Occupy!!!!!  So yesterday was wonderful!  Back in the occupied saddle.   It was lovely.  I saw so many friends and acquaintances that I have sweat with and stood ground next to, even bled with.  I was at Occupy town square for the anniversary festivities.  The first occupy town square was at washington sq park, and this one was much better and bigger!  Not that the first one wasn't great.  But this one seemed more magnanimous and had a whole crew of people from all over the world there.  A huge convergence for the Occupy S17 anniversary.  I guess all I can say is that it was so nice to be back around these people that are all working towards such great causes, and focusing on treating people with such dignity and respect.  I don't ever have to convince anyone down at occupy about world views or my contempt for the political system. The minute I step out of Occupy I run across people where I am always seemingly taking a "radical" stance.  I am the crazy guy tearing apart the system, raising issues that others don't see or don't maybe care much about

But this is where I came to yesterday: I don't care what you think about occupy or its methods, but if the world was full of people with Occupy's values we would have no problems.  Caring, loving, patient (or at least devoutly trying to be), they just fundamentally view the world in a way that respects everyone and everything in it.  Imagine a world where everyone respected everyone?  Everything?  No really, imagine if every person you came across today treated you with dignity and respect from the depths of their and your core?  Imagine if governments, businesses, services, everything was designed by and for people that fundamentally respected each and every person and thing in the world above all else? Black, white, brown, male, female, both, young, old, religion, ethnicity, whatever.  Imagine if EVERYONE was like this and had a world view that was like this.  The world would be a TREMENDOUSLY different place.... a much better place I think. So say what you will about Occupy, but they are good people, with great values.  We would all be so lucky to be surrounded by such good people. 

To teach of not

So while taking a moment off today I went to the expat hotel and chilled by the pool and chatted it up with some peace corps volunteers. Took it easy, but easy for me still means chatting it up with the locals and asking questions!! So I'm just going to pass this story along.

Mohammed is a poolside bar tender at the Wusum hotel. It is an $87-107 a night hotel in a place where the average wage is about $1.25 per day. He comes at about 3pm and does evenings I guess (i don't stay late). He is trained as a teacher in health education though. He has passed his college course and started working in a local school.

He had to get registered to be officially a teacher, but could teach during that waiting time. Unregistered he makes about $25 per month to teach, not a living wage. Registered he could make $250+ per month. Really good money here. He tried to register, but the process dragged on. According to him it goes to the Ministry of Education and gets lost. It can apparently be "expedited" with the right connections. But can take 2-3 years otherwise. Frustrated with the process and low pay, he left teaching and is now a bartender.

Basically he can make more money as a bartender under the current system. He'd rather be a teacher, but if he can't get a living wage, he has to do what he can. Which is to tend bar...

Arrival...

So I made it safe, sound, and very happily.  Really pressed for time in internet cafe right now, so brief.  But I will say this, I could write an entire book about the first three hours I was here!!!  Amazing place.  People are so warm...  Learning so much, and talking to so many people.  The wheels are turning so fast already!!  Gonna need to call in some research questions of some advisers!!  I'll tell you what, no matter what happens, there are countless opportunities here and we're ready to make it happen, vermacomposting, solar panels, feces into gas?  eco-toilets?  Oh yeah, that's what we're talking about here.  Time to make it happen!!  more soon...