Going back a few weeks again...
We began our 3 week break by heading to Swakopmund with our group. One hour before reaching our destination, one of our combis blew a tire. We pulled over and never has popping a tire been so enjoyable. We were in the middle of the desert along a barren road. A water pipe supplying the mines with water ran alongside the road, so we had no other choice but to climb all up on it. It was a simple 20 minutes, but for some reason, it still sticks out in my mind. Life is all about attitude. Rarely do I know of people getting excited about a popped tire, but we were in the middle of a beautiful Namibian desert (it was evening, so it wasn't too hot) so why complain?
We spent a couple of days along the coast in Swakopmund (just so happens to be where Brad and Jen were, not that I care) and Walvis Bay. The highlight here was climbing Dune 7, the second tallest sand dune in the world. Micah and I raced to the top, but it was quite exhausting because with every step, we moved back halfway. The top of the dunes contained one of the most beautiful views I have ever experienced. I think after climbing many mountains out west, they all have their similarities, but to be on top of sand dunes was something entirely different.
The economic disparity here is what's really hard to deal with. Namibia has the highest disparity between the rich and poor in the world. In Swakopmund, beautiful mansions line the coast while 5 minutes away, across a 500 meter barren wasteland, is the DRC. The DRC is a settlement in which its only electric is for streetlights, everyone shares communal toilet, and residents need a special card to pay for water from communal pumps. Trash is dumped on the side of the road and houses are made with corrugated tin and tarps. I've grown accustomed to seeing people living in these situations all across Namibia. Originally when I started seeing poverty of this nature here (and when I first experienced it in the US on the Pine Ridge Reservation), it was natural to think along the lines of, "How can people live like this?" However, billions of people live in these situations and some of them make it work out well. All of them have dealt with their situations. One home in the DRC was just beautiful. Yes, it was made of corrugated tin, but it was full of artistic flair. I feel that when many Americans encounter this kind of poverty, they feel pity. Pity should not be the emotion because it automatically assumes that my life is so much better than theirs and that they are incapable of being happier than me. This may be the case with many people, but having the idea "oh, this is so sad that people live like this" is wrong. It takes away their humanity to objectify them like that. I do feel slight anger, however, because people shouldn't be forced to live in these situations when others don't. The great pains in Namibia come in seeing mansions five minutes away. There is no justice in a small minority of people living their lives full of luxury and the majority simply living to sustain themselves. I am one of these people of luxury, however, and we have similar circumstances in the US. I don't know where to draw the line of living for myself by enjoying some of my luxuries and of giving of my efforts and resources. For example, I struggled about deciding to travel to Victoria Falls. I could go, enjoy it there mostly for myself, or I could have went back to Windhoek, volunteered and donated the money I would have spent on Vic Falls. How much should I live for myself and how much, given my relatively affluent and "priveleged" background, should I give for others? I need to take care of myself and maintain a stable state of mind, but if I'm to truly follow Jesus like I say I do as a Christian, I'm not here to live my life for myself. I should be here as a servant towards others, putting myself last.
Yesterday in Religion class we visited the Desk for Social Development of the Lutheran Church in Nambia. Here we learned about a proposed Basic Income Grant for Namibia. It's aim is to fight poverty and HIV/AIDS by providing every Nambian citizen with the equivalent of US$15 per month. It doesn't matter whether you are rich or poor, you would receive this grant. However, the rich primarily would pay the taxes for it so the money would just go into their own paying of taxes. 62% of Namibians live below the World Bank poverty line of $1 per day. This would basically have the potential to take most people above this line and reduce the economic disparity in this country. By providing money to help them sustain themselves, poor unemployed people will be better equipped to put effort into looking for a job. I was so fascinated at this that I'm doing my final integrative project on it. Sure, you may complain that people will waste it on substances and that it is totally anti-capitalistic, but it will give the majority of people opportunity to get out of the cycle of poverty. It is unique too because it doesn't matter whether one is rich or poor, everyone receives it so it's not a pity vote. It also has huge support from the Council of Churches, the Namibian NGO Forum, and other big organizations as well as from members of parliament. A major hindrance to its taking effect is its rejection by the IMF and Namibia is not ballsy enough to go against international advice. The IMF mainly doesn't support it because they don't think it is economically feasible for Namibia, even though the IMF made incorrect calculations and the Church pointed out where this was. Interestingly, there isn't much strong opposition from the rich.
There are enough resources for everyone, but they are so unevenly distributed that many don't have access. Yeah, I like the initiative, and if you don't cuz you're rich, deal with it. We have no idea what it's like to pull ourselves out of poverty, and if we do, we're lucky because there's only a few limited spots for people to do it. If one poor person does it, it probably means that another who tried didn't because they were beaten out.
