An overwhelming consistency

Cam

Over the past week or so I've been stumped in terms of what things I've seen and felt that are worth a blog. However after some more reflection time in the lavatory staring at the same stained bathroom tiles, (my only accompaniment being my stomach's demonstration of a whale-call) I've come to a realisation that in this beautiful labyrinth of ups, downs, colours and stories it's hard to find something undeserving of its own dialogue.

Coming into this trip, I was planning on writing a blog or two per city, trying to sum them up and the lessons they taught me. As I've expressed before, I find it impossible to "summarise" a society/city, and I've found how malleable the lessons learnt from them can be (through debrief). Despite these distinct chapters in our journey, I've observed some consistency among the chaos. I'm shocked to say that I have gotten used to seeing children beggars born into situations they can't help, and that they'll probably never get out of. The sheer contrast between the extravagant Bollywood music videos we watch in restaurants for breakfast, compared to stepping outside into a street with rubbish and dust dominating the streets, stray animals poking their heads into these accumulations of forgotten matter, and people living in seemingly hopeless situations. I feel so upset that these people have been forgotten by society, neglected like an unnecessary word from a long complex sentence. The calibre and effectiveness of the organisations we have visited that aim to fix this issue are frankly remarkable acts of social responsibility and kindness. Asha showed us the true value of education in a slum; a teaching I can relate to a great train ride discussion I had with Will Pretty. "Give a man a fish, he eats for the day. Teach a man how to fish, he eats for the rest of his life. It's a shame there isn't an Asha, Future Hope or Free Set for every struggling soul in the world. But as Tom Rapson said in debrief, one deed may seem small in the grand midst of things, but it makes the biggest difference to that one person. This is an incredibly valuable lesson I as well as the rest of the fine young men on this tour have learnt.

Another factor I think worth commenting on is religion. In Varanasi the faith that Hindi people have of a better life after there current one is a beautiful and braves passion that has changed my views of religion. When the negatives of life become overwhelming and the situation seems hopeless, it's these faiths, acts of kindness, and the passion to do better that are the light. This light overcomes the dark, and makes life truly worth living.