kill your television

today i experienced the most extreme levels of poverty that i have ever been exposed to.

i felt a pit sinking deeper and deeper in my stomach as we drove into the La Solidaridad housing project, just outside of Granada. the "streets," littered with mounds of rubble, dirt, and burning garbage, were almost all flooded, mosquitoes breeding in the small lakes where half-naked children played. occasional ghastly, lone horses occupied some corners, trying to find what grass was left to fill their skin-and-bones figure. men and boys worked without pause, hauling large concrete blocks to new houses in construction where others stirred cement mixture in the street, most covered head to toe in dirt and bits of dried concrete. in between houses in the midst of construction stood, and leaned, small one-room homes made of uneven wood and scraps of metal and plastic.

though a large percentage of the 200+ families in the community have already received help to build a new concrete home, over 40 are still without, living in the small shacks, most of which are not more than 8x8 feet. the ground, dirt, is the floor. the roofs are made of straw and whatever other scraps they could throw together. the bathrooms, for the houses that have them, are small outhouses, also made of similar wood scraps and plastic.

however, almost without exception, save for a few of the unfinished homes, a television glowed its sickeningly-blue glare through the window of every house. they even shone through the cracks between the wood and metal of a number of the casitas. some presented the evening news, some presented happy, well-clad white people, grinning ear-to-ear, eager to win Gameshow X. others played movies from the shiny, sleek DVD player that rested beneath the devilish-looking, square black box.

one can't help but wonder what the hell has happened when a family that doesn't have a floor, nor a bathroom, nor a stove, is sitting together, being brainwashed by an inanimate, sadistic box of glass and plastic. what have we done? we, as people of the developed world, who have exported countless lifeless, unnecessary consumer electronics to nations that have yet to reach economic stability, gender equality, or even sufficient literacy rates. we have exacerbated a completely and utterly sickening distortion of priorities among the people who most need our help.

globalization has taken its deadly toll on this country in ways that make me sick to my stomach. as a result of thousands of lives lost in revolutionary war, a complete lack of development, sheer poverty, and ridiculously unequal distribution of wealth, the cultural norm revolves around instant gratification. candy and cigarette vendors, cheap ice cream, restuarants specializing in deep-fried chicken and other meats, and slot machines line the streets. with their pointless products, unhealthy habits, and unnecessary reverance for plastic, mass-produced consumer goods, the capitalist United States have helped institute a philosophy of "one-time use," instant satisfaction, and short-term goals.

...and so the environment, and the people, continue to suffer. it pains me to see people, countless times every day, walk by the public garbage cans, so generously donated by Rotary International, and instead throw their trash on the ground. it collects everywhere. instead of picking it up and disposing of it, it is rather just shifted from one location to another. it has now made it outside of the city and contaminated the beautiful lake nicaragua where locals used to be able to swim. now no one dares to enter, save for the few that don't have any other choice if they need to bathe.

i can't really explain how much it hurts me to see all this happen. most of the time i really have no idea what to do with myself. because such beliefs and actions are now so deeply rooted in the culture, the hope for positive change within the near future is slim to none. while the roots of the issue lie in the extreme levels of poverty, ridiculous distrubution of wealth, and the generous support of the capitalist state that is the entire developed, globalizing world, i feel the need to do something to provoke change. although all of our others focus on gender, health, and community unity, i plan on doing my last workshop later this month on the direct and indirect environmental effects of their careless actions.

in the meantime, think about someone or something besides yourself next time you consider buying something you don't need, biting into a big juicy burger, or driving when could walk instead. you're not seeing or feeling the direct effects of your actions

...but we are down here.