Seth’s World View

After going into the local town of Mbarara with my friend Bekah a few times, I ventured off alone to explore the city, and buy, I mean negotiate, a few things. When in a city, I like to be inconspicuous, act like I belong. This is rather difficult when I can walk around the city for two hours without seeing anyone light-skinned. Nor do I see many wearing my Colorado earth-toned clothing. My attempt to walk confidently and decisively wears a little thin after I see the same fruit stand for the 5th time.

All the banks have security guards, you know, to guard the money. I try not to draw their attention, because, well, you never know. As I was walking by one guard, I heard, “Mzungu!” I stopped in my tracks and turned tentively his direction. As I looked, he smiled, and said cheerfully, “How are you?”

Mzungu is the term for a person of European descent, a white person, in some parts of Africa, like Uganda and Rwanda. Since one doesn’t see a mzungu every day, a motorcycle passenger may yell (and did) “mzungu!” to point out the curious sight. It also works well in a crowd to get the attention of a white person, due to the scarcity of mzungus in east Africa. For instance, after I had walked past two girls in Rwanda, they yelled “Mzungu!” and then in an amused tone, “Where are you going?” I guess not every mzungu just takes a walk, or maybe the girls were just flirting.

It’s interesting to be a minority for a month. Not that I’ve never spent any time in big cities. I have. But to be not just in a minority race, but a minority culture. Then, to have a term that identifies me as such. The word mzungu comes from words meaning, “one who wanders aimlessly.” I’m sure someone other than me could better comment on the positive and negative connotations of the word. To me, it gets across the meaning of ‘other.’ While I can understand the usefulness of a word that signifies foreigner, and I don’t expect us all to pretend otherwise, I wonder if we could more often be named, rather than categorized. I don’t mind being called a mzungu, but I much prefer just to be known as Seth.

Growing up Pentecostal, I am all too familiar with the tangent known as The Prosperity Gospel. It sells well on TV in the US. It also has made inroads into many non-western countries, like Uganda. Christians make up 85% of Uganda’s population. I heard Christian music on the radio while waiting at the bank. I also heard from the missionaries there how they are trying to convey The Gospel when there are so many who preach Prosperity. You would think there would be a disconnect, wouldn’t you? Where is the prosperity when people make $1-2 a day? Prosperity can be relative. Also though, if you’re not prosperous, it’s your fault, because God wants to bless, so you need to remove the limitations that are preventing God’s blessings. At least, that’s what I heard at a church one day. And as a disclaimer, the organization I was with, and the missionaries I knew, do not adhere to the alternate gospel I’m talking about.

What else did I hear? I heard for the words blessing or blessed over 50 times in one service. Not once did I hear the word sin. I did hear a lot about limitations. Apparently God blessed us all before we were born. The line that really stuck with me is this, “God bless Adam, therefore we are all blessed.” Huh? I repeated it in my mind to make sure I heard that correctly. For a second, I wondered if I was listening to Joel Osteen, but no, wasn’t him. The pastor seemed sincere, and probably cares about his congregation. That doesn’t make his message any more Biblical. That makes it all the more sad, that people think they are hearing Christianity.

What’s the difference between the gospels? I’ll give it to you in my own words. The GOSPEL is the good news about the finishing work Jesus Christ has done to reconcile us back to God through his sacrifice on the cross for our sins. What are the blessings? The blessings are salvation, grace, forgiveness, and God himself. SIN separates us from God. Without sin, there is no good news, and thus, no gospel.

The [Prosperity] Gospel is all about blessings. God desires to bless us and for us to prosper. There are limitations we place on ourselves or others place on us that prevent God’s blessings from reining down on us. The Bible is re-interpreted through this filter, a filter which now has a dose of psychology thrown in. It is all about the good God wants for us. The bad is what hinders the good from being in our lives. Sadly, the good is seen in mostly financial terms. There’s nothing to be saved from. We aren’t in danger of anything. And we certainly aren’t self-centered. While there are parts of the Bible that talk about blessings, turning financial blessings into the primary message of the Bible, is not orthodoxy, it’s heresy.

One of the chores I watched the kids perform in the morning was that of sweeping dirt. I’m not talking about sweeping dirt from concrete in this case. I’m talking about sweeping dirt outside on top of dirt. I pointed this out to someone, and they noted how nice the dirt was after it was swept. You know, the dirt. I had to admit. Yes, the dirt was much better after being swept.

I also watched them mow the lawn. Without a lawnmower. Not even the manually-powered lawnmower of own. The lawnmower was powered by a boy, and the cutting instrument was a long piece of metal. On the way back on the plane, I was watching a movie set in the 1800s, where they were cutting grass the same way.

I remember when I was in New Zealand several years ago, and was informed there was a washine machine for clothes, but no dryer. I thought to myself, “Well, then how am I supposed to dry my clothes.” I had actually forgotten that there was other ways to dry clothes, like on a line or drying rack.

The dirt of Africa made it’s way onto my clothes while there, and still pervades my sandals, which were the footwear of choice. If the dirt wasn’t swept, there would be more dirt to cover my clothes and sandals, right? I didn’t miss a beat this time though. I grabbed the basins, filled them with water, and washed my clothes. Then dried them on the clothesline. Wait, did I miss a step? Next time, I washed, then rinsed, then dried. Washing by hand to remove dirt can take a lot of rubbing and twisting. Maybe I should buy a bin, in case someone else is using the washer (a very real possibility in an apartment complex). Too bad I left my flex-o-line clothesline in Africa. Will have to buy another.

Civilizations advances, and we forget how to do the simple things sometimes, like washing clothes without a mechanical washer, drying clothes without a mechanical dryer, and cutting grass without a lawnmowing machine. And I forget that dirt can be swept, until I go away to remember. Realizing what I have forgotten, I suddenly wonder what else there is to remember.

I start off my discussion of Africa talking about water. I didn’t give water much thought before going. That’s just it: I don’t give it much thought. It’s just there, always flowing. It comes from the faucet both hot and cold. Parasites are few to none. Our water is sterile. We don’t have to collect it, nor do we worry about there not being enough. At least, that’s the way it is for most Americans, as far as I know.

I remember debates when I was younger, and even now, about the possible negative impact of flouride, and the other chemicals in the water. I’m not bringing them up to debates the pros and cons, but rather, to point out how silly it is to complain about our water when most of the world doesn’t have readily available sterile water. That’s not to say I like drinking any more chemicals than I have to. I have since purchased a filter for the faucet. What I am though, is thankful to have sterile water. The first few days back, it was surreal to be able to not have to boil my water first.

I ended up just outside Mbarara in a facility that had running water. The city has water lines. Had I ended up in a village, we would have only had the water we collected. That’s the way it is for my friends Rebekah and Leah in the village where they reside. I asked about the running water, and was told it had parasites. Thus, we boiled it. Since we had electricity, we used an electric kettle. I’ve been a convert to electric kettles since my days in New Zealand, and now, think they are perhaps the greatest kitchen appliance ever.

I enjoyed an African rain storm one day. I was on my way back to the children’s home, walking, and it started to rain. I got out my very portable Marmot jacket, and can say it doesn’t work very well in a downpour. I thoroughly enjoyed it though, and opted not to hire a boda. Uganda gets a lot of rain, though not throughout the year. One place I read said they have four seasons: wet, wetter, dry, dryer. During the dry seasons, one may have to conserve water.

In the desert regions of the world, water is a big deal, and people have devised all sorts of ways to catch and preserve it. While resources like oil certainly deserve attention in our changing world, some would say water doesn’t get the attention it should.

With water in mind, I just purchased a Steripen, which uses UV to purify water, along with a few sets of batteries. It’s useful for backpacking and for my next venture into the developing world. And if we ever have any water issues where I live in the US, it’ll be good for that too. I also would like to get the LifeSaver. Their standard bottle is nice, but their jerrycan is quite compelling for everyday use if needed, as it has both a long filter life and a large capacity.

And that, my friends, is what I have to say about water.

From April 27th to May 23rd, I ventured to Africa. This was my first time in a developing country. Being that I am looking at International Affairs as a possible vocational path, I needed to know whether I could enjoy life in a developing country, and have that line on my resume. I also needed some time away and was keen on visiting my friend Bekah.

I kept a journal while I was there, and planned to transcribe the journal to my blog. It’s possible I may still do that, but I thought it would be more interesting to write a topical series about my time in Africa, so that’s the path I’m going to take. It’s taken awhile for me to sit down and start writing. When one works from a laptop on a daily basis, the desire to sit down with a laptop for recreational purposes isn’t really there. In Africa, I had no phone, and very little Internet access. I enjoyed that, actually.

I do realize that saying I went to the African continent is not specific enough. I flew in and out of Rwanda, and spent the bulk of my time at an orphanage in Uganda. I had connecting flights at Heathrow, Amsterdam, Nairobi and Chicago.

I read up on Uganda and RWanda before going. I watched movies like Hotel Rwanda, The Constant Gardener (filmed in Kenya), and The Last King of Scotland (filmed in Uganda about Idi Amin). I watched documentaries about the LRA and the Genocide in Rwanda. I read books on the cultures of both countries. It was all helpful, but none of that is nearly the same as being there. I can learn about Africa by reading books and watching videos, but the experience taught me more than all the preparation.

That’s the introduction. More will follow. Let me know if there are any specific topics you’d like me to write about.

I’m currently scanning genealogy papers from my mom’s side of the family, so I can send them back. Along the way, I read through a few bios for Amos Bronson Alcott, the father of Louisa May Alcott, my cousins. When I was in college, I went up to Concord, Mass. to visit the Orchard House, home of the Alcott family. It was educational, learning how influential my cousin was, and how counter-cultural many of his views were at the time, which included:

Animal rights/environmentalism: Alcott rejected the killing of animals for food or sport. He objected to obtaining pleasure or convenience for humans at the expense of animals or the environment.

Conversation: Alcott communicated his philosophy mainly through holding informal talks which he called Conversations—a term later employed by Margaret Fuller, his friend and assistant at his Temple School.

Earth-friendly living: Alcott rejected the use of manure, preferring “green” manure or crops grown to enhance the soil. One of the reasons why he was a vegetarian was because he knew crops required less land than animal agriculture and because the latter “exhausted” both the farmer and the farm.

Innovative education: Alcott’s educational methods included the use of the Socratic method and student participation in classroom government. For six years, he performed yeoman service as Superintendent of Concord Schools.

Nonviolent civil disobedience: Alcott was an organizer of the Non-Resistance Society, which opposed all forms of violence, from verbal and physical abuse to war and the killing of animals.

Vegetarianism/veganism: Alcott was a founder of Fruitlands, a transcendental vegan community, and advocated vegetarianism through lectures and writing.

Women’s equality: Alcott staunchly defended women’s rights and was asked to lecture at women’s rights conferences. He raised his daughters to believe that they could do anything; he shared in domestic chores, including cooking and child care; and he designed a pants suit worn by men and women.

He was friends with Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. He was an idealist, and followed his ideals, even when it cost him. He also influenced a lot of people by following his ideals, even though his name is less known. I like him. The idealist in me likes him, as does the rebel.

I struggle with how much of an idealist and rebel to be in this world. I want to face truth and reality, but it seems many people are sure of their contrasting truths and realities, even within Christendom. I don’t want to just complain and be a victim of society. I don’t want to see a conspiracy under every rock. I don’t want to call those who disagree with me enemies. I don’t want to fight every battle, thus making enemies when I don’t need to. But I do want to hold onto ideals, and follow them. I do want to influence the world and cultures around me. I want to leave a mark, even if people in the future don’t know who made it.

I desire to embrace all that is good in cultures, and stand for what I believe is right, including standing against the actions that are wrong. As a Christian, I want, first and foremost, to accept the Gospel, the good news, daily. That is, I’m a sinner who needs God and by coming to the Cross and Jesus’ finished work, I am righteous, I am forgiven, I am free. From there, I throw out the labels of liberal and conservative that we latch onto, because they are both wrong and un-Biblical as a whole. The Bible is also neither modern nor postmodern. The church neither republican nor democrat.

I believe we need to live more sustainably, though I often don’t. I believe we should be better stewards of the environment God has entrusted to us, and it blows my mind that so many Christians don’t think so…though I used to be one of those. I am not a vegetarian, nor do I ever plan to be, but I can see some good reasons to be so. What I do think is we consume too much meat as a society, and take for granted the many millions of animals that die every year for us. Nonviolent peacemaking can be effective. Read A Force More Powerful, among others. I do believe that violence is sometimes a necessary evil in a fallen world, and that without penalty, human nature will show the roots of original sin. But it disgusts me when we rejoice over the fall of our enemies, and don’t care when their body count rises. I don’t believe there is such a thing as a just war, though in some cases, it may be the better of two evils. Action is necessary.

I believe in fair trade, not free trade. Taking advantage of poor people in other countries so I can have a cheaper cup of coffee doesn’t set well with me. Yet, there is only so much we can do. And only so much that I do. But that doesn’t mean I can’t do anything. I have many good friends who are school teachers. There is much that is good in and about our educational system. The entire culture has changed around it though, and I’m not sure the system will change fast enough. Lifelong learning and adaptibility is the future. And the Internet will continue to change society as we know it. It’s already done that more than most people realize. And people have more power than they have ever had because of it.

That’s all for today.

Seth, the idealist