Life in trash land
Aug 30, 2011
For several days last week the CNN homepage included a story titled: "Life in trash land". The story included a photo log of images from a trash dump where people eke out a living by sifting through heaps of garbage. Such is the plight of a segment of the poor in Mozambique. The photos are not easy to see. The emotions that I felt ranged from shock to revulsion to great compassion. These people must survive entirely on what they find in the trash, whether it be food to get through the day or materials for a bonfire to warm the cold night. While I was moved by the photo log, the following excerpt from the story moved me more. The photographer Jose Ferreira relayed his impressions as he said, "Despite all the circumstances of how they live, they keep on showing their kindness and happiness and hospitality," he said. "We don't find these human qualities in many places in the world." I think about the United States where I am from. The culture and society are certainly under duress at this time. But the quality of life and the abundance of creature comforts far surpass the conditions of a trash dump. Yet, kindness and happiness are not the impression I typically take away from my encounters with others. More often than not, the people in the United States hold an identity of themselves that was handed to them over a number of decades. The people in the United States have been oriented to see themselves as "consumers". "Consumer identity" has dominated the culture in exchange for human identity. Kindness and happiness have been annexed to purchasing power and thus during these challenging times we in the U.S. are witnessing a complex response throughout the country. Depression is high, despair is increasing, political antics continue at the peril of the national good and communities are floundering. Most striking is the abeyance of human qualities for helping one another as well as a spirit of sharing resources to ensure that a majority, not a minority, are able to favorably navigate the recession. Without question progress is good and sustainable economic vigor is important for the United States, but when compared to the conditions of those who are eking out a subsistence living in a dump, it seems that this is a time to awaken the human qualities that became latent as a result of years of consumerism and undue emphasis on consumer identity. You can read this article at CNN.com. The full title is: "Life in trash land captured by photographer" by Emily Wither.
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