At times like this, my mum would flip into the “You boys are spoilt and need to learn how to work” mode and refuse to employ any extra hand. This was complete nonsense. We didn’t need to learn how to work. We already knew how. A reminder wasn’t necessary either. Sadly, my mum disagreed. Sadly, my mum was in charge. Mutiny was not an option. Her word was law. Thus, we suffered this injustice numerous times when I was a teenager. We once lasted two months with no maid. It sucked beyond anything I can describe. The work was bad enough; but the real issue was that someone always had to be at home. We hardly ever left the house empty, for security reasons. That meant my evening drive about town became a luxury. I loved that drive. I needed that drive.

My little brother was usually home; but, being a weirdo, he always locked himself in his room. This was no good when you needed someone to answer the gate. At least he worked. He fed the chickens. I hated doing that more than anything else; and he did it without moaning. I always thought he felt a kinship with them; stuck in those cages, laying eggs for ungrateful masters who would butcher and eat you when you couldn’t do the laying anymore. I have mentioned he was strange.

It was in one of these cases that I saw first hand what could happen when one’s back is pushed against the wall. There was no maid. The poultry was at full capacity and we had an extremely vicious dog to contend with. I had to remember to buy chicken feed, because they wouldn’t lay eggs if they hadn’t eaten properly. We sold some of the eggs that were laid. My mother would be ticked off if there weren’t enough eggs, especially if it was my fault. Needless to say, I made sure they were fed.

The turkeys were a different matter. All they did was stuff their faces and stroll around leisurely. I think I just envied them. At any rate, the alpha male type character was quite antagonistic. He thought he was a king. No, really. I nicknamed him Big Poppa because of this fact. He led the entire troupe around like they were gods or something. He even attacked me a couple of times. They didn’t serve any purpose at that stage. Yes, I knew they would make for a tasty meal somewhere down the line, but in the meantime they were a pain. So, I forgot to buy their feed. I was going to, but I kept putting it off. So, it ran out. The turkeys were starving. It so happened that someone made some beans that didn’t turn out so good at that time. I thought it might be an idea to feed this to the turkeys, so I did. They ignored it. I thought, fine…you’re obviously not really hungry. Cruel, perhaps; but I was still nursing a bruise on my leg where Big Poppa had drop-kicked me. I felt justified.

I wandered outside later on and, lo and behold, the bean cocktail was gone; all of it; and all the dirt around where it had been put. So I didn’t bother buying feed that day either. The next day, I put the dog’s meal out for it. Rex (the dog) was so aggressive that I couldn’t go near him while he was dining. He would actually try to attack me. He forgot that I was the boss, and that sometime later on that day we would play tag, a game which I would let him win. The point was that he had to be restrained. You put out the food and took cover before he went into mad mode. Well, on this day, after the food was put out, Big Poppa arrived on the scene with his henchmen. They were scared silly by that dog. There had been one or two incidents when Rex had managed to get free when the turkeys were out for their daily stroll. It never killed any, but there was still chaos.

Imagine how this leader felt; his family was starving; there was food right there, within reach. The only problem was the vile creature with sharp teeth that laid claim to the grub. Something had to be done. No guts, no glory. It happened fast. All fourteen turkeys made their move at the same time. Rex never stood a chance. At first he tried to grab one with his teeth (ever the nice guy, he didn’t want to kill it, just to hold on to it and scare it off or something). The bird flapped its wings so hard that the he was dazed. I tried to help, but the crazy dog lunged at me in its food-fuelled madness. He was playing nice to the turkeys but thought nothing of ripping me to bits. I left him to his fate. It was over in about ten seconds. They each pecked at the dish about twice each, or something like that. All the food was gone. Then they took off…into the sunset, as it were. That marked a major change in their relationship with Rex. I might be wrong, but I believe in my heart that all further attempts he made to free himself were solely so he could have another one-on-one with Big Poppa and the rest of the crew. Thankfully for them, he never succeeded.

The turkeys explored this change in diet further over the next week. The next day, I noticed them moving with the same single-mindedness that they had when they attacked Rex’s food. It was a monitor lizard; a poor un-suspecting monitor lizard. These reptiles exist in large quantities around where I lived. They had no reason to expect to be attacked by turkeys; cats, maybe, but definitely not turkeys. It had never happened before. It was fundamentally wrong; unnatural even. Nevertheless, a couple of pecks later and he was gone. We didn’t have a lizard problem for months. Only the cats did a better job. The turkeys also tried corn-on-the-cob and some authentic African cuisine, including stewed chicken, before it was over. I eventually bought the feed, and things went back to normal. They kept attacking the lizards though. I guess they tasted good.

I learnt a valuable lesson from this. All it takes is motivation, and you can do anything.

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I alluded to a possible obsession above. Obviously this is an exaggeration (you knew that, right?). However, for someone who has been in “exile” for long time (i.e. me), there’s a tendency to lose sight of where one has come from as one integrates all this stuff from the places one now spends one’s time. So, a good way to address this is to take a trip back to home; to confront one’s demons, as it were. For me, that means going to Nigeria.

Ok, so I didn’t make the trip to Nigeria simply because I wanted to tackle questions about my identity. That was more of a side effect. My real reason for going was to attend a couple of Marriage Ceremonies. One was Traditional, and had been systematically avoided by the groom for years by way of his simple refusal to return home from the U.S. (brilliant strategy, if you ask me). The other was a Church wedding for a good friend…I was expected to be one of the groomsmen. Even though I hadn’t been for over 7 years, not making the trip wasn’t really an option.

So, it was with some perturbation (ok, fear…maybe even dread) that I boarded the plane at Newark Airport. I was finally returning the the land of my birth and upbringing. My mind was all over the place. I tried to think back to the last time I was there. I was a struggling student at University in England, and my trip home was to provide some much needed rest and relaxation, as well as to harrass my parents into giving me more money for my international adventure. The trip before that, barely six months before, was for a similar purpose.

On both occasions, I didn’t have time to truly examine my feelings towards my “home”. I wasn’t really interested in what was going on there at the time. Identity was not an issue. I had other things to worry about. So, it became apparent to me that this was the first time I was returning with no agenda (weddings aside), free of an all-round non-positive outlook, ready to “just see” what was in store for me. The further away from New Jersey I got, the stronger my unquiet got. I was glad I was going to stop over in England briefly, where my brother would join me for the final leg of the journey to Lagos. At least, I wouldn’t be arriving on my own.

That was the plan anyway. But we all know that life has a way of providing excitement (or shafting you, if you prefer) when such is least expected, or needed. About an hour before we were scheduled to land in London, the captain announced that all airports in England were closed because of snowfall. I was surprised. I had barely gotten away from an expected storm in the North East USA only to fly straight into another one in Europe. Us passengers were told that the plane would have to land at an airport in another European City. Brussels was full. Paris was full. Zurich…no go. We were told that we would be landing the party city that is Hannover, Germany. Yay!

If I had internet access onboard, I would have been able to find out from Wikipedia that Hannover is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony, and was once the family seat of a group of Kings of Great Britain. Today, it hosts commercial shows like the biggest Marksmen’s funfair (guns!) and the second largest Oktoberfest in the world (beer!). Plus, there is a massive zoo there. All of this means that the place is fairly dead for most of the year.

I took it rather well. I had never been to Germany, even though I lived in England for about 6 years. Maybe this was the universe giving me the chance to experience something new. The thought of missing the wedding because of delays entered my mind, but that seemed highly improbable. I had 4 days left. There was no way in the world I wouldn’t get there in 4 days. There was no point bitching about anything till then.

So it was that over 200 passengers finally made it to a hotel about half an hour from Hannover Airport at about 1 AM local time, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic, after hours spent waiting in various queues. All closer (and fancier) hotels were fully occupied by other stranded people. I won’t talk about how I almost froze to death because I wasn’t dressed for “it’s effing freezing!” temperatures, or the unpleasant jetlag that accompanied me for the 2 days we were there. That would be nitpicking. I mean, things could have been a lot worse. We could have been sleeping on the floor of Heathrow airport like those poor sods we could see on TV.

To be honest, I didn’t completely mind being there. It wasn’t cool being in limbo though. Virgin had nobody on the ground (the flight crew had been put in another hotel, where they could be safe from us), so we had to get our updates from the hotel staff (who managed to stay polite even though they had to handle enquiries from loads of angry americans). There was a board in the lobby that also got updated at various points during the day with information on meals, possible departure times, etc. We never actually saw the so-called Virgin rep who allegedly put the information up. I was sure it was really done by mysterious elves, but then again I was suffering from extreme jetlag and might have been delusional.

In any case, we passengers became like a big family. We were all in the same boat, all of us potentially missing out on important events at our destinations. Reunions, weddings, Christmas dinner, hotel reservations. People start to identify with each other in circumstances like that. We talked about our options, alternative routes, ways to mobilize and get the airline to take us seriously and get us where we needed to go. We gathered for meals at the appointed times, getting to know each other and trying to make the best of a bad situation. The planning of the operation was…almost non-existent. There was no real co-ordination. No one knew how many passengers there were. They didn’t even take our names when we checked in. Anyone could have stepped up to the reception that night and gotten a free room and free meals, all paid for by Virgin. It was really strange.

One afternoon we all had to pile into buses and get taken to eat elsewhere because the hotel restaurant had been booked for some prior event. So, anyone who wasn’t in the lobby at the right time basically missed lunch. What was even scarier was the fact that when it was time to go back, no one bothered to tell us. After the meal, I was lost in conversation with an American Indian – I mean an Indian who I thought was American-raised, but who turned out to have picked up his “extreme” American accent while growing up in India. It was weird; he had only been in the US for about a year or something. I accused him of being a sellout – and an English dude. After a while we realized that the other passengers had disappeared. We ran for the entrance of the building to find that there was one bus there. We got in, and the driver left shortly afterwards. No one ever counted or checked anything. I am convinced there are still a few stranded people in Hannover right now, walking the streets, lost forever because they missed the bus. Ahem.

Oh yeah, as I mentioned at the start, John Oliver was there! I first noticed him at Hannover Airport. He looked regular. In fact, I was starting to think I might be mistaken until I noticed a few people go up to him to shake his hand. Even then, he was really gracious. I expected endless jokes and maniacal laughter. Instead, he was just…regular. I was a little disappointed. And I felt foolish. The fact that I didn’t say hello when I first saw him now meant I could no longer do it.

At lunch, myself and my Indian companion noticed him at a table (with his missus). The lunch tables had enough space for 6 – 8 people, but none of the other spaces were taken. I guess people wanted to give them space or something. We spent a substantial amount of time debating whether or not to sit next to him after we had gotten food. Eventually we made the move, said hello and sat down. Before I had time to engage him, some posh people came and took him away to have lunch at some posh restaurant…away from us mere mortals. Opportunity lost. Sigh.

Later on that day, I was walking past the lobby of the hotel when he called out to me. He asked me if I was on the Jets Football team. I was shocked. Then I realized that I was wearing a Jets hoodie; plus the Jets were actually playing that day (I also like to think there’s a chance I have the build of a football Wide Receiver…at least a kicker…but maybe I’m delusional). I laughed. He laughed. All was well. I didn’t have to go to him and say hello; he came to me! Because I’m cool like that. I might have blushed a little, but don’t tell anyone.

Hannover was turning out to be alright. I figured I would be outta there first thing the next day. Then I checked and saw that it had been snowing again in London. At that point it became apparent that I might actually not make it on time.

You’ll have to come back in a few weeks to read the conclusion of this amazing tale.

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In any case, it’s come to the fore of my mind now because I have been reading about the potentially damaging effect it could have on affordable HIV treatment in the third world. “How?” you ask, a slightly perplexed look on your face. Once again, the devil is not in the idea; it’s in the execution…Free Trade Agreements. I shall return to this in a bit, so stay with me.

When I discovered this issue, I decided to really dig in and find out what I could about this Free Trade concept. I wanted to understand what it was all about, and how it could turn out to be negative. So, I put my excellent research skills to work (RE: Google) and came up trumps. Basically, Free Trade is a system that levels the playing field for anybody wanting to produce/trade a given product. At its core is the principle of making pricing a true reflection of supply and demand. This applies to domestic companies, international companies…everyone, regardless of country or location. Pretty simple.

It’s funny…I have always imagined this is how the world works, mostly. You put effort into producing something – time, money, etc – then you charge a certain price to reflect that. If said item is difficult to produce or rare, and in demand, you can charge more, within reason. I was right. This is how it does work…but only within a given bubble. A bubble, say, like the United States. Any given bubble will have rules in place to protect its “integrity”. The system functions to ensure that any external force that breaches it doesn’t easily cause harm to those inside. Usually, that means that if you are a producer in a given industry within, a producer in the same industry from outside cannot expect to come in and compete without some forced handicap (high taxes for them, tax cuts/subsidies for you etc).

The idea of Free Trade is to make the bubble irrelevant, or at least reduce it’s effectiveness drastically. No Government helping the locals out and making life more difficult for the outsiders. Like I said, a level playing field. It seems to have a whiff of fairness about it, afterall we all end up with a true reflection of prices, and the competition is fair. However, the world as we know it is way too complicated to allow such a principle be applied on a grand scale. Well, at least that’s what I think.

Most of the basis of Free Trade rests on the idea of Specialization, which is one I readily identify with, having run a business in the past (so what if it was a web development company when I was at University…it still counts). Basically, everybody is much more effective if they concentrate on things they are best at (even if you are capable of doing all things reasonably well) and leaving the other bits to people who are better suited. In an ideal scenario, a new web designer could hire a new accountant instead trying to do her taxes herself; and the new accountant could hire the new web designer to manage his website. They can both spend their time doing what they are best at. The system benefits from two people at their highest productivity level, who are also able to trade effectively with each other. Win-win.

The problem here is that societies today are not at a template level. They are filled with multiple examples of our web designer and accountant at multiple levels of complexity. Let’s say, for instance, that the land of Narnia is better at Wheat farming than Hogwarts. Let’s say that it is also cheaper to do it there than in Hogwarts. Now, let’s also say that the reverse is true for the manufacture of…I don’t know…Hawaiian shirts. The idea would be for Hogwarts to leave the wheat to Narnia, and stick with the shirts, and trade with the Narnians for wheat. Even though both Nations can do both, perhaps effectively, this is the optimum arrangement.

Now, in implementing this, the Narnian Government might remove protections in place for its local wheat growers…deregulation, really. These locals would quickly have to get creative in order to survive in this new landscape of “openness”. They would have to find a way to cut prices and compete with the potentially more effective foreign companies…or go out of business. There is more innovation, more co-operation between the nations; it’s all good…for consumers and the whole system at large. But there is a cost. A large chunk of locals who are in this industry will possibly be left without any livelihood. Also, any others who were working towards entering said industry would have to divert their efforts into something else.

So, clearly, trying get this to work on a large scale is difficult. That is why there are Free Trade Agreements (e.g. NAFTA). They basically lay down rules that must be followed by all parties to the agreement. They make sure that everything is set up correctly so things are fair, so all parties are treated equal. It’s deal-making, and someone always loses, at least in the short term. For instance, to “facilitate” this process, subsidies might actually be given to the foreign companies instead of local ones. If these locals are unable or unwilling to deal in the new environment, then it’s often tough luck for them.

Around the Globe, the issues are plentiful. For instance, NAFTA has been blamed for the loss of the United State’s manufacturing credibility (Mexico has grown their ability), while also being blamed for the difficulties local farmers face in Mexico (America wins here). When it happens between Developed countries and Developing countries, we start to see more problems. How much should Governments in less developed countries be allowed to influence prices to encourage entrepreneurship in their own economies while dealing with the much more advanced Companies from the Developed Countries? There’s a very thin line they have to walk.

Locals in Europe tend to have protections in place governing how many hours they can be made to work, how much they must be paid etc. I once worked – I use that term loosely…there was quite a bit of sleeping – for 24 hours straight as a Security “Officer” while I studied in England because the guy for the night shift didn’t show. My manager was extremely worried about all kinds of penalties the company might have to pay if it ever came to light. All of these protections are laughable on the farms and manufacturing plants in Developing countries. So, even though such conditions might not be created as part of any trade agreement, they already exist and are a major reason why business might be significant more expensive in Europe. How do European Governments factor that in when considering Free Trade?

I think that is where things start to get a bit sinister. Now, I am not a big conspiracy theorist – everyone knows the U.S. Government is covering up details of an imminent alien invasion – but my last point underscores part of this idea of framing arguments and deals as existing between Nations for the benefit of their peoples. From what I can see, that’s not the case. The parties that gain from all of these deals are companies, particularly the big boys. A company that would have had trouble being competitive in farming in Europe can move into farming in Jamaica because of a Trade Agreement or an “opening-up” of the markets. They are free of the constraints that would have existed on employee practices back home. At the same time they possess the clout and wealth to completely bamboozle – for lack of a better word – most other local companies. This idea of specialization benefiting even traders in that industry changes because some multinational firm is suddenly able to muscle their way into the game. Locals lose on both sides…the big companies win. I am having trouble seeing how this is good for everyone.

Global producers are…like…evil.

Now, back to how all of this affects affordable HIV treatment. This Article on GlobalIssues.org covers it in more detail, but the general idea is that Indian Companies have been able to make consistently cheaper versions of HIV treatment drugs because they only have to get patents for the “process” by which the product is made, not the “product” itself. That is going away as International Free Trade Agreement rules come into place. This could mean that international companies, attempting to make more money off these drugs, can bring Intellectual Property suits against the Indian Government around this issue. To stay out of trouble, Indian drug manufacturers in this area will have to be more careful. The potential result is a reduction in these sorts of drugs, and a potential increase in costs where available…because of “Free Trade”. Where do we draw the line?

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying all multinationals are bad, or that globalization is wrong…or even that all of these agreements are wrong. It’s just that Free Trade could actually do more harm than good, particularly when looking at developing countries who just can’t operate at the same level as their peers from developed countries. Fair Trade has risen up in recent years to try to address the inbalance that can arise in these situations, but that idea has also been mostly usurped for profit as well.

I was hoping to find a solution when I started out on this path, but I have come up with nothing. At the end of the day, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all package that can be flogged to all parties. So, maybe in that lies the answer…I don’t think we can hope to apply the same principles (i.e. free and open trade) to all situations. We should consider the uniqueness of every situation, of every party involved; maybe even consider the positives of some protectionism. We also need to watch these globe-trotting companies because this is their show, mostly.

The offshoot of all of this might be a more complicated and drawn-out process; but whoever said life is supposed to be easy all the time?

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The destination is a big deal when one is on a journey. Most people would argue that getting to said destination is the whole point. Knowing what is at the end is usually a requirement. This knowledge can change the dynamics of the trip. For instance, most people will readily put up with a whole bunch of trouble, if they get something worthwhile at the end of the day (What would you do for a Klondike bar, anyone?). They’ll be able to think about the end result and say “This will be over at some point, and then I’ll have what I want”. This can do wonders for the human mental state. Also, knowing what sort of party awaits one changes the clothes one might wear there. If I’m just gonna become nothing, then maybe I should live as intensely as possible. If we are going to become spirits for eternity then maybe the pursuit of wealth is not so important. The point is that if people know – and I mean really know – what, if anything, comes after death, then chances are they could act completely different in their daily lives.

In modern society, we have all of these sophisticated rules to govern our actions. Do this, you’ll get by fine. Do that, and we’ll lock you up. It’s a structure – a system, and we operate within it, one way or the other. Life and death can also be thought of as a system as well. Indeed, death itself is often depicted as punishment for not obeying the rules. That is the starting point of Chrisitianity, for instance. We are all tainted by sin and must now die. However, I have heard “preachers” claim that certain brutal acts of violence that took many lives were a “Judgment from God” to teach a lesson. One could point to the fact that, in the Old Testament, God himself flooded the world, destroyed cities, etc. The fundamentalists (Islam now has more than it’s fair share, but back in the day Christians routinely mass-murdered for God) want to “help” by doing some killing as well. Meanwhile, people often expect God to reward them by postponing their death sentence. All of this points to the fact that Life itself, along with certain creature-comforts (like a BMW, for instance), is often thought of as a reward. Still, it’s a question of time. Eventually, everybody dies. So, the most important bit of this whole system is the afterlife.

Oh, the afterlife. What is it? We wonder, we imagine, we dream, we speculate. Still, the answer eludes us…as it must until we actually get there. A large chunk of humanity takes it’s cue from Religion. In general, there are two ways things can go for you in the eyes of the religions of the world; Good or Bad. Good is clearly better. As a base, an eternity of the good life awaits you. The definition of this “good life” varies from being able to eat all the burgers in the world without clogging your arteries to having your way with no less than 72 virgins (if you are a guy. I am not sure what the option is for the ladies). The good life, I say. On the other hand, Bad is not so good. As a base, an eternity of “suffering” awaits you. Once again, just what that eternal suffering is varies widely. It could be physical torment, as in the flames of Hell. It could be you re-living certain events in your life over and over…an endless loop. Bottom line, you want to avoid this scenario if it’s at all possible.

The problem with this system is that it is, for the most part, very much like a standard school grading scale, except you don’t get rewarded for getting anything less than an A++. Good is the highest grade possible. Everything else falls under the “Bad” umbrella. Look at the guys who got the highest grades in your class; think about about how strange they are. Think about the guy who gets really excited talking about potential applications of Quantum Mechanics…could you be that weird? I didn’t think so. That’s why I have always figured that the vast majority of humanity is going to Hell.

Seriously though, the difficulty of making it to Heaven cannot be underestimated. There was one time – I was about thirteen – when I prayed so sincerely for forgiveness of my sins that I actually believed I would go to Heaven. It was a fantastic feeling. It also only lasted about five minutes. I never got it back after that. I just kept…you know…sinning. I suspect that some of the leaders of Christianity from the ancient times understood my feelings. The entry requirements were too stringent for most people so they came up with a pseudo-solution – Purgatory. The elite go to Heaven and the scum go to Hell. For the good folks who just weren’t on top form, they go to purgatory. Now, this place is hellish as well, but over a period of time, you get to “graduate” to the Heaven. Your torment will not be eternal, which works quite well for me. Well, it would if I bought into it. Even at 10 years old when I first heard about it, it struck me as a cop out.

Did you watch Lost? It was only the greatest T.V. show ever made. Anyway, for those of you poor souls who have not witnessed the phenomenon, it is basically about a group of plane-crash survivors stranded on an island. There was a massive debate about whether the island represented some sort of purgatory, or a trial for the people who were brought there. I’m trying not to spoil things here for those who might want to watch it, but the final season also dealt with the idea of limbo and a “preparing ground”, after death, but before moving on to the hereafter. The point is that ideas like these do span various cultures and backgrounds, even though I am looking at things from my own point of view.

A part of me is drawn to the depiction of the journey of death from ancient cultures. Think Hades…or the fantastic tales of forays into the underworld described in books like Joseph Campbell’s “The Hero with a thousand faces”. These tales are so romanticized and filled with all kinds of interesting stuff that one might be inclined to look forward to death. We leave this world behind and move on to the next, to join our ancestors at the grand table after crossing the great river, nourished by the loaf of bread that we were buried with. Certainly sounds more fun than purgatory.

I also like the ideas I have found in Eastern Philosophy (as much as it can be separated from Western Philosophy), and in modern science. Quantum Physics is so cool because there is so much of what could be termed spiritual “mumbo-jumbo” in it. The overlap with Buddhist ideas can be a little scary. Nothing really happens unless we observe it happening i.e. we create reality. That’s the stuff one would find in a New-Age book. In any case, the thrust of Eastern thought is an underlying connectedness of all things and events. What you think of as “you” is just a manifestation (or illusion) for the moment. Your “death” only ends this particular experience, and what is truly “you” goes on. It gets more complicated, depending on which teacher or school you explore, but that’s some idea of how things fall. You don’t have to worry about death, because it’s not really death at all. This is a powerful idea.

At the end of the day, whatever you believe – or don’t – you will die. Despite this fact, we live life. We plan, we build up stuff that we can’t afford to lose. We spend most of our lives working and try to save for the twilight years. There is nothing wrong with any of this. Life cannot stop because there is death. The issue is that we do all of this without really acknowledging death. We live our lives like we have all the time in the world, or at least 60 or 70 years. The idea that we could die at any moment is not really with us. Some of this is obviously because it is a little scary. There is so much going on. I can’t die right now. I have to do this, or do that. My family would be unable to go on, etc. Besides, why bother thinking about something that is likely to depress you?

But maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to consider it just a little bit more. Older folks tend to have much more appreciation of life as it slips away from them. Life is sweet; every oxygen-breathing moment of it. Sometimes we forget that when problems come around. A regular reminder couldn’t hurt. I think it might serve us better if we look at life as a privilege we have for a limited time, and so live it accordingly. Also, a life filled with peace and joy is more likely to benefit you when death comes around. Chances are that if you live your life joyfully maybe, just maybe, Saint Peter might not have the heart to turn you back at the Pearly Gates.

So, maybe it’ll be just like flicking a light-switch; maybe my life will flash before my eyes; maybe there will be an overwhelming feeling of peace. I don’t know. But till then, I will certainly be trying to live everyday like it’s my last.

It turns out that fair trade isn’t necessarily fair after all.

In July of 2008, The representatives of the nation members of the World Trade Organization holed themselves up at the WTO’s Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The objective was to try – once again – to resolve differences between two major camps (developing countries and developed countries). These negotiations were started as part of the Doha Development Agenda which commenced in 2001. The issue, when it really comes down to it, was a difference in opinion of what is “fair” as far as trade goes between the nations. That’s what the WTO is all about, you know…fairness. Negotiations broke down after 9 days over something called a “Special Safeguard Mechanism”, which would allow the developing countries more leeway to deviate from WTO guidelines to ensure that local farmers didn’t suffer too much in the event of a price crash…or something to that effect. The developed countries (including the US and EU) weren’t keen on that then; they still aren’t now.

The idea of fair trade, grand in its inception, just hasn’t worked in practice. That’s often the way with great ideas. Once they truly come into play, they can be interpreted, adjusted and twisted to suit the needs of the people in control. Organizations like the WTO and IMF, particularly in their approach to dealing with trade and development in the developing world, have not been able to produce the results once imagined for their schemes. Some of the key principles of the IMF include transparency, non-discrimination and “special and differential” treatment for developing countries. These goals are really important-sounding…high, lofty and other adjectives like that. On closer examination though, one can’t help but see the cracks.

Transparency is fair enough; everybody has equal rights etc, etc, etc. With the idea of non-discrimination one can start to see problems emerge. It basically means that no favoritism would be shown to any party in trade e.g. a domestic company over a foreign one, or a one nation over another. This should apply no matter what coalitions, relationships, deals etc. already exist. Do you see any problems there? Well, me too. However, special treatment was the one that really caused – is still causing – all that uproar at the WTO negotiations. Just what is fair in regard to the treatment of developing countries? This is trade, not charity (see Bob Geldoff for help with that). This is about profit. And since we are talking about international trade here, we are therefore talking about Multi-National firms, some of which have been reaping huge rewards off these deals for decades. Their model of “trade” has helped the economies of the US and EU to get to the strong position they are in – or were in before the global recession set in. Trying to merge this world where competition, exploitation and underhand practices are the norm with the feel-good, equality for all, fair-trade dream-world is asking for trouble.

Just look at the Banana Trade, for instance. Bananas are one of the most consumed fruit on the planet. They are also among the biggest profit-makers for supermarkets. So, we can all agree that they are big business; so big, in fact, that companies have been involved in exploitation, bribery and even the overthrow of governments since the early 20th century…all that good stuff just to keep business going; not to mention the Banana Wars between Europe and the USA in 1999. During this “conflict”, America actually levied duties on European products (completely unrelated to the Banana), whilst the EU stopped importing American beef. They eventually sorted this out once they had worked out a way to ensure all parties could reap their fair share in the bounty, except of course the poor sods from whose countries they got it.

The search for competitive advantage causes players to find ways, understandably, to reduce costs where possible. As I indicated previously, you cannot ask them not to do this. It’s the only way they can stay in the game. So, if there’s a way find the product for cheaper from another supplier, they will go for it. If there’s a way to pay less to workers and take short-cuts, they’ll also do that. It is what it is. Now add in developing countries with IMF Programs as suppliers and you have the potential of a tragedy in the making. Here’s how: A developing country gets some more money off the big boys (the EU, for instance) to invest in their countries. In return, said developing country has to implement IMF Structural Adjustment Programs. Essentially, they are given some “direction” on how to spend the money loaned, amongst other things. Usually, this involves growing of cash crops i.e. stuff they can export to the developed countries for money e.g. Banana. The country then concentrates primarily on this industry (often to the detriment of others – seems to happen all the time). Now, imagine a multi-national company involved in farming in the developed country. Do you think the government can adequately dictate practices to them? Do you think the treatment of workers will be of paramount importance? As for the EU that is importing the bananas…what happens when something goes wrong…like a disease outbreak that makes banana production more expensive? They can abandon ship…go somewhere else where it’s cheaper (this is precisely what happened to Jamaica).

What we end up with is an unhealthy dependence on the cash crop by the country. There just isn’t room for them to do much else because of the programs in place. It’s kind of like credit companies insisting on dictating what you spend the money on before they lend. It’s a great way to ensure they get their investment back. It’s not a great way to help provide sustainable development to an economy. This, apparently, is at least part of the goal of the IMF program in question. It fails. When the crap hits the fan, these countries have to do all kinds of things to make their exports attractive e.g. devalue their own currencies to keep the prices low. Majority of the land is devoted to growing cash crops to raise money, while people starve because other food crops and industries are neglected. These countries actually import food from the US and EU. It’s a sweet deal for developed countries. They get the raw materials for cheap, then process it and export back to the original source, ensuring they make more profit. They are in a position of power (those of us who have owed money to someone might better understand the helplessness in this situation). Finally, if anything happens that causes prices to go up, they can apply pressure to keep it lower for them (their loans, remember?). Heck, they can even change to another cheaper source who is equally under similar pressure. It’s a crappy system:

- Country has a crop which they produce for export
- They are provided with money to grow this industry…with limits
- More and more competition amongst companies (and other nations exporting the same) mean that prices invariably fall. It’s a race to the bottom. Everyone wants stuff for cheap.
- More effort and resources have to be put into the industry to ensure that the debt is paid, and to generate money
- Substantial mismanagement, corruption and dodgy practices ensue (individuals are greedy, and thinking of one’s fellow countrymen really won’t do when you can get rich)
- And on and on it goes

It doesn’t really matter what was intended. In this case, it isn’t the thought that counts. It’s the results. The results here suck…big time. So we see that:

- Overall trade increases (yay!)
- Multinational companies and the developed countries rake in profits (yay!)
- More people in the developing countries starve, as they export so much of their food (not so yay)
- They actually have to IMPORT food from the US and Europe (sigh)
- There is little room to expand any other industries as all the resources are devoted to producing cash crops…education etc. suffer (bummer)
- Rinse and repeat…because the idea is sound; it’s just mismanagement etc. that has caused it to fall flat on it’s face in this case…blah, blah, blah – further nonsense like this continues

So, the safeguard mechanism is supposed to help protect the poorer parties. It’s a way to say that if it goes to hell they won’t be forced to drop prices so they don’t sink further – along with other provisions of similar nature. This isn’t entirely crazy. It’s how the world works, right? Costs in general get transferred to the buyers. Why sell something for less than it costs to produce it? However, when you have buyers controlling the market, then you have a problem. They can say “I simply won’t buy”. Then you are buggered. The problem is the system. It’s one that works quite well for some, and not so well for others. Everyone has to look out for themselves. After all, who is to say that the America and the EU will remain at the top of the food chain forever? There is already change in the air as China, Brazil and others step up their game. It’s okay to do favors for others…as long as there is potential for gain. It’s just best not to call it fair trade.

The idea of these organizations as benevolent entities going around spreading goodness and cheer is obviously flawed. What is the IMF? Where does the WTO get its funding from? Even bodies like these are subject to the pressures of powerful members. The idea of equality for all is fine; however we all know that some are more equal than others. In this game, the developing countries don’t stand a chance…until the rules change.

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I suspect I am not alone. Death has been scaring us humans since the dawn of our species. I am not going to go into details about how Bo, my caveman ancestor, handled his fear of death. I have already written a brief summary of his explioits here. Suffice to say, I don’t think he thought about it that much. This attitude of not thinking about the coming of the Grim Reaper has remained with us till now, except the context is completely different. I’ll try to explain this as we go along, so try to keep up with me.

What is death? What, I ask? The answer is…well…to tell the truth, I haven’t the foggiest idea. No one does, as far as I know. All I know is that at some point, I will stop breathing, and my body will start to decay…unless I am eaten by sharks or something. But you get the picture. We are born, we live, then we die, one way or the other. It is the way it is. But why do we die? The answer really depends on who you ask.

Let’s start with Religion; Christianity, in particular (sorry, I was raised a catholic). Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden…Paradise. All was well. Then Eve screwed up (women, eh?), allowing the snake to convince her to eat fruit from the one tree that God had warned them against. She then got Adam – poor sod – to do the same. Now I don’t like to point fingers, but this blatantly shows that women can’t be trusted. I have shared this sentiment with my wife in the past; but she threatened to stop feeding me, so I took it back.

Where were we? Yeah, God was pissed off, as you can imagine. He decided to chuck them out of paradise; and he threw in a death sentence as well, for good measure. He also decided that all their offspring would suffer the same fate. I have always thought this was a bit harsh, but what do I know? In any case, that is why we die. I can’t speak for other religions, but if you’re a christian, you can walk around knowing that your life will end someday because your great, great, great, great, great…[repeat...not really sure how many times]…great grandpa listened to his female companion. Be warned…Ouch! [that's me expressing pain as my wife smacks the back of my head. Don't shoot the messenger dear, okay?]

In Scientific terms, we age until we die from complications that result from, well, ageing (this is the practical case for religion as well, except without the cool romantic tragedy as a backdrop). This is of course assuming trauma or disease don’t get us first. That’s key in the overall question of the cause of death from a scientific point of view. What I am thinking about here is why it is that we age at all, or more to the point, why this ageing leads to death. It’s an interesting point. Evolution (I pick this because it’s largely accepted in Science) seems to be really good at preserving the “best-suited” of our offspring. How come even these chosen ones are thwarted by death?

In simple terms, this seems to happen because immortality – or more practically, longevity – is not the point; Reproduction is. In the early days of life on this planet, the living environment was much harsher. Death happened…a lot. It can get complicated to define what makes an organism a separate unit, instead of just a group of cells, but I think it’s safe to say that life was comparatively short for our much less complex ancestors. They starved, were ravaged by infections and disease, fried by radiation, or eaten by others long before they could collect their pensions. From that perspective, the survival of a species really comes down to how many children one can spawn, and how much better suited to the environment the kids are.

This was cool for them back then. It was even cool for the Bo the caveman and his brethren as the same deadly dynamics were still much in play during his time. However, for the civilized man of the future i.e. me, this is bad. Everyday, I work towards defeating all of these factors that might separate me from life prematurely. I don’t go on safaris (no chance of ending up as some crazy lion’s lunch), I eat enough for 2 people (no chance of starvation), try to exercise every now then to stay healthy, etc. Modern society allows me to spend time developing my intellect, for instance by watching Jersey Shore. However, Selection (natural, group…whatever) has just not caught up. As a species, humanity is better now at successfully avoiding the stuff that would kill us off while we are young, and we are reproducing exceptionally well – RE: Octomom. In our relative old age, we are now encountering new killers that evolution simply has no answer for…yet: degenerative diseases, bone depletion etc. Put simply, solving one problem has simply allowed another one to emerge.

There are obviouly other theories around, including the idea that death is necessary for life to be the way it is, but I can’t get into them right now. At the end of the day the result is the same, whichever way you arrive there. We die. There is definitely a suckiness to this fact. This suckiness can be compounded by dwelling on how soon one might die. I know it has become a mini-obsession of mine since I officially became old this year. Turning 30 raises one’s all-round cheerlessness exponentially, at least in my experience. We can hear the Grim Reaper calling out to us (or maybe that’s just me). In any case, thoughts about death might arise a bit more as we grow older.

I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing. In fact, considering one’s mortality can actually allow you to appreciate the time you have here more. I like life a lot more now. I love my wife, my children, friends and family. I am also able to remove unnecessary things from my life with more ease. I now work more on maximizing the good stuff, and minimizing the negative stuff. I just don’t know how much more time I have.

And sometimes death might be welcome. My comment on the I-95 traffic at the start of this piece is there for a reason. People will do extreme things to get away from it, like jumping off a bridge.

Besides, it’s what comes after death that’s the real problem for most of us when it really comes down to it, not the dying bit. Though I would rather not go out like the chap on the highway above.

More on this next time.

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Swearing is one of those things that is encoded in our genes. It’s been here since the dawn of man. You can bet that Caveman Bo cursed the first time he accidentally kicked his foot against a rock. Of course swearing covers a whole lot more than just that, but that’s the bit that is really interesting for me. By that, I mean the act of saying “s**t!”, or any of the other choice words we might use when stuff goes wrong (or right even). Why use that word? Why not “daisy!” or “flower!” or “Lord love a duck!” (read that one in a P. G. Wodehouse book). What’s so special about the curse word in a particular scenario? What would happen if you yelled out “frog!” instead? What are the psychological implications? Does it even matter what word you use? Why are there curse words anyway?

Profanity stems from the word “profane”, which basically means something that is outside of the church. So, something profane back in the day would be something that was not allowed in the church. The church had a prominent role in civilized society back then (and now still?); so, a lot of what was considered as profanity at the time was anything that was offensive to religion (Christianity) e.g. blasphemy, taking the Lord’s name in vain…that sort of thing. As time went on, I suppose this gradually changed to mean anything that was not accepted as “decent”.

People cursed back then, as they do now, for a variety of reasons. There is cursing to abuse (f**king idiot); cursing as a response to some event (s**t, my husband came home early); cursing to add emphasis (that’s f**ing fantastic); cursing to attack (think “Charmed” and the Power of Three…and I didn’t watch the show, honest). Shakespeare was hugely popular at least to some extent because he had a dirty mouth. Almost all of his original works contain significant amounts of profanity…particularly of the religious kind. He took stuff that was sacred and violated it in clever ways. That is the way it was. Anything religious was fair game. Think of the word “bloody”…as in “that’s bloody great”, for instance. This word tracks back to the crucifixion of Christ. As you can imagine, swearing on Christ’s Blood was hugely offensive…so naturally people thought it would be a great way to express themselves.

All of this foul-mouthedness was concentrated around certain subjects. These include Religion (the original), Sexuality (the most fun), Race and other Human characteristics (the most offensive in present society). In the olden days, Religious “swears” where the absolute worst, because they were in defiance of God. It meant you were going to hell (this seemed to be what the people wanted, ‘cos most of them cursed anyway). However, we are seeing a shift now, and swears that are abusive to people are now regarded with much more negative sentiment. It’s probably a reflection, in some ways, of how much more secular society is becoming.

In any case, words like the aforementioned “bloody” no longer pack the punch they used to. That particular word, like some others, seems to have run out of steam sometime in the last century. This happens as times change; society evolves, people discover new things. However, some curse words have been around for ages, and they are still going strong. Ass and f**k both date back to the 16th Century. G. D. (can’t write this out properly on paper…still scared of going to Hell) follows closely. Heck, even b*tch was used back in 1400 (“a malicious, spiteful, promiscuous, or otherwise despicable woman”).

Staying power in some cases has much to do with the subject matter the curse word references. The human derriere seems to be an interesting subject for an alarming amount of people. And sex…well, ditto. Thus, such words have been supplying pain, ridicule and humor across the ages…and they are not about to stop now.

We are cursing more than ever today in response to…life. Adulthood is often marked by being able to curse without being berated by a teacher at school (which is why kids at 10 are adults in New York). For young ones, it’s another thing that adults do that they can as well. In groups or at work, it takes on another dimension. I remember working in a supermarket and feeling really left out because I couldn’t go in the smoking room when others (including the boss) did. I believed “deals” were brokered in there. And I’m not just being bitter about being passed on for a promotion for a guy who knew nothing, simply because he smoked with the managers. I’m not bitter at all. I did spend quite a while learning to smoke, sure that it would come in handy as a social tool…only to end up employed at a company where no one smokes. No one.

Still, being able to curse around people often implies a level of comfort. It’s almost akin to letting your hair down. Take a load off, pull up a chair, say s**t. It’s a way of identifying with the group. So, yes, it could mean a promotion is easier to come by if the boss “identifies” more with you than someone else. It could also be a badge that says you belong.

There’s guilt attached to it for some people. I use the term “heck” quite a bit in my writing…which is just a pseudo for Hell. Pseudos are a useful way to swear without really swearing. People come up with…interesting replacements. Shite or shoot for sh*t, darn for damn, BS for Bulls**t. There are those that think this sort of thing is pointless. They say “if you are going to curse, just do it already. Don’t cover it up. God knows what you were really trying to say. You are going to hell anyway”. Might as well go the distance. In some cases, the pseudo does actually end up being as bad as the original. Crap was a pseudo for s**t when it first came out…now it’s regarded almost the same.

But when it really comes down to it, nothing really beats a proper swear word to deliver the message clearly. Saying shite just isn’t as powerful as the real thing. Stuck in traffic and late for a flight; work project going all wrong; a major fight with your partner; money invested with Bernie Madoff…all of these seem to call for powerful expletives. Some studies have shown that cursing can increase endurance. It seems that humans are wired to swear, at least in such situations. The urge to swear in those circumstances comes from a primitive part of the brain…it’s instinctive. It might be somehow tied to emotions, thus the reason why it might help to reduce pain as well as just letting off steam.

It is so because, psychologically, it is a way of…de-stressing. To put it simply, it’s better for Tommy to swear loudly than for him to stab someone. Tommy has an idea what a curse means. This idea is shaped by perception of the word and the context of the application. When applied in the appropriate context, it’s sort of like therapy. The word, once uttered, triggers the appropriate response that means, you know, release of some sort.

So, it’s not just the act of voicing a word that implies anger, frustration, excitement etc. It’s actually THAT word in particular. This is why pseudos just don’t cut when it hits the fan. S**t wouldn’t be s**t if it was s**t, you see?

The other thing that was found (which might be a bummer for you folks that swear every time you trip over yourself) is that swearing seemed to help to dull the perception of pain in some groups more than others e.g. women more than men. They believe that this because men tend to swear more often than women, so the words aren’t just as effective. They have reduced punch because they are common place.

So swear (more when you slam your finger in the door, than when you lose a one dollar bet) and it could help you. Over do it and it loses it’s potency. Anything done in moderation…

All in all, as long as you don’t do it every two minutes, it would seem that it might not be such a bad thing.

The whole thing has one thinking though…could regular words we know today become curse words in future? Maybe a hundred years from now, someone will yell “fish!” when their toes are stepped on.

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That’s what’s happening with older cultures and traditions…sort of. They just can’t keep up with the new world. It’s change. Change will come no matter what. It’s relentless and brutal in it’s sweeping away of the old. Globalization, the internet…it’s happening. And, like anything else, there are pluses and minuses (is that really a word?). On one side you have the keepers of tradition, who maintain that holding on to the older ways, at least in some form, not only helps to preserve the connection to something bigger than oneself, but also helps to enrich one’s everyday life. On the other side you have those that believe that we have to focus on the things that encourage unity and integration in our societies. I am sure there are other views that are neither here nor there, but you get the picture.

Those, like my grandma, who fight to preserve “the old ways” can seem a bit out of touch with reality in their thinking sometimes, just like Snooki and the crew. They give many reasons to justify their proposition, but too often it comes down to something like “It’s been our way of life for generations” or “It’s part of who we are”. The younger, global-citizen types can simply scream back in unison “WE DON’T CARE!”. It’s been there for ages, so it should never pass away? I’m not convinced. The preservation of culture for culture’s sake just doesn’t cut it anymore. Sorry, grandma.

Still, while I might take issue with that argument, I do believe there is a lot for the old guard to fight for. When it comes to old ways, I think that the whole is definitely more than a sum of the parts. What makes up tradition? Shared ancestry, shared language, shared religion etc. All of these together are the building blocks for the structure of a given culture. The most important bit, in my humble opinion, is the “sharing”. Belonging to and living in accordance with these traditions is a communal way of life. It’s sharing with one-another; brotherhood. In other words, connection. I’d like to think that this connection is one of the big reasons people fight for tradition, even if that isn’t immediately obvious.

No question about it, shared tradition connects people – e.g. Apple Mac owners, for instance…stuffy bunch. Belonging to any club can add a “heaviness” to one’s social identity. It can give one’s life a grand purpose. This can also be true even when a member does not really believe in or subscribe to the core message of the group. Just being a member can make all the difference. Now, throw in family ties, history, time etc and you have a connection that is even more powerful. In a world that is getting increasingly impersonal, this is something that is important, at least to those who are aware of what would be lost if the group were to disintegrate i.e. grandma!

I was reading The hero with a thousand faces by Joseph Campbell, a fantastic book that explores the relevance of Mythology across a wide variety of peoples of the world. There’s so much about how these rituals and shared myth can shape individuals in a group. It is powerful stuff. In modern society, the idea of culture in some respects has been reduced to “character”, enlightenment (of the intellectual variety) and even infrastructure (See Capital of Culture). It has become more of a spectator sport or something of the mind, rather than something that one participates fully in, body and soul. That deep connection is missing.

Modern society therefore seems sterile in this respect. Everything seems to be based more on reason and logic. What about reverence for one’s ancestors? Where are the masquerades that chase kids all over the place? What about the rites of passage that chldren pass through to become adults? What about the periodical gatherings of the people to celebrate…I don’t know…the full moon?! In the absence of these acts that allowed people to develop deep bonds with each other, what are we left with…Facebook?

At the end of the day, there has to be a balance. I am unique as an individual, inasmuch as I am a member of a group. I can be part of the new world and still keep the useful stuff from my ancestral culture (though not the language. Once again, sorry grandma). In fact, I fear that one’s cultural identity can sometimes be used as an excuse for refusing to assimilate. It can be used as a wedge between oneself and one’s current environment and neighbors. So, it is important to see the bigger picture. What one loses in the way of bonds within a smaller group, one gains in the way of bonds to a much larger group. This sort of thing might not bode well for the survival of my little tribe, but it could be good for me, and perhaps the world, as long as I don’t lose myself.

I think a lot of these older cultures are going to become extinct. Even so, I still think that trying to pass on the core values of my culture to my children would be a worthwhile activity…if I knew what they were. Instead, I will pass on the lessons I have learnt in life. No doubt, some of those will be traceable back to my ancestors. So, in that sense, maybe I’ll be passing on my cultural identity to my kids afterall.

I am speaking (writing, if you insist on nitpicking) as somone who should have a direct line of connection to my cultural heritage. Both my parents are from the same Ethnic Group in West Africa. They both speak the language, and are fully familiar with the customs. Sadly, we (meaning myself and my two brothers…me in the middle, like Malcolm) do not speak the language, at least not at a respectable level; and are only generally aware of said customs. It was certainly not a priority for me when I was growing up. I liked video games better.

There were a lot of old customs in full-swing all around me…even in the midst of all the western influences that were making their way into our lives as we got older. There was religion – churches on every corner in the town I grew up, it seemed to me – but ancient customs still stood. In fact, when it really comes down to it, tradition still trumps religion. For instance, one might get married in a church, but would still have to do the traditional wedding ceremony – always first – according to the customs of the bride’s family. I personally have dreaded this practice since I hit puberty and realized I might have to get married. In fact, it is the chief reason I haven’t returned home since I got married while I lived in England years ago. Angry in-laws are waiting for me to come and properly “claim” my bride. I fear they have scouts at ports of entry into the country. It’s best to avoid returning altogether.

As children, adults in the family tried to make us aware of the dangers of not knowing where one was from, of not being able to communicate in anything other than the White Man’s language. There were stories of times during the civil war when being able to speak your language and/or understand local customs was the only proof that you were not the enemy…thus sparing yourself from a violent death at the hands of your own. While tales of the war were cool – one particularly juicy bit involved my uncle, then a child, being dressed-up as a girl to avoid the “draft” – we weren’t too worried about this situation ever arising for us; not in modern times. In fact, most attempts to learn about our tribal customs as we were growing up were driven by the fear of “Mama-Sisi”…my grandma on my dad’s side.

Sisi had a habit of turning up at our house from the village unannounced, causing all kinds of issues. She always seemed to be grumpy when I was a child…the perfect human expression of a wet blanket. We mostly tried to avoid her…like the plague. However, we knew that at some point during her visit we would inevitably be summoned to her abode (the guest room at our house) to be judged for our sins – our lack of appreciation of our culture. This experience was always nerve-racking…about as much fun as water-boarding. While I can say I gradually got on better with my grandma as I got older and could see through her “attitude”, I can never look back with any fondness at those meetings. They were, without exception, horrible.

Each encounter usually started with a paragraph or two in our mother-tongue, which we would invariably fail to understand. Then she would switch to English and proceed to lecture us extensively. She often called my parents in to get a share of the tongue-lashing for failing to pass this knowledge onto us (if they weren’t smart enough to make themselves scarce once she started). She also berated them for being so westernized themselves. They weren’t exactly happy about her manner of imparting wisdom, but they got the point; and often put in a decent effort to get us on the right path after each…er…pep-talk. They would try to speak the native tongue a little bit more, buy some books to educate us, etc. It never lasted. Everyone reverted to type after a few days.

I knew – then and now – that such attempts were doomed from the outset because culture is not something that can be transferred in a such a half-hearted manner. It has to be lived; it has to be embodied. There’s just no way to do it part-time. I had friends who were much more fluent in their tribal tongues and traditions. Each had been brought up with their parents instilling these ideas pretty much from birth. Not so with us. My parents tranferred their own unique set of values to us – effortlessly, I might add. In fact, they get extremely high marks for that. As a adult, I am still surprised how much of them I have in me. This, however, is not the same thing as being brought up with the values of “the tribe” unless the tribe is just mummy and daddy. I guess that is the key. My parents are members of their tribe, but it doesn’t pervade their lives enough for them to be natural extensions of it. Interesting…

For my grandma, her culture was a significant part of who she was, or who she thought herself to be. The demise of the tribe = the demise of her. This is a BIG deal. It’s the reason why ideas like these are so powerful. Tie in the identity of the people to the identity of the structure. They will fight till the death to protect it. My grandma was (still is) trying to preserve herself in a way, by preserving the idea of her tribe. She expected that idea to pass on to her offspring so they would hold it in the same manner, and then pass it on to their offspring. And so on, till infinity. That’s the idea. She failed to do that.

For better or worse, the power of my father’s cultural identity isn’t as strong with him as it was with his parents; probably because he’s a surgeon who rips people’s throats open for a living. Whatever the reason is, this condition is a lot worse with my generation. It’s a safe bet that my kids will be even further away from their ancestral legacy in that respect. I caught my 3-year old son singing “All the single ladies…all the single ladies” with a big smile on his face the other day. Strange. Such leanings raise serious questions that I won’t try to answer here. Has the tribe lost me and my Beyonce-singing child? What’s the big deal anyway?

More on that next time.

I can say this with some confidence…conditions in our world are changing; weather is getting more erratic; more rain in some places, less in others; more and more cases of extreme weather. Global Warming is happening and we all have to deal with it, one way or the other. It’s not a question of belief when there is talk of all the snow on Mount Kilimanjaro vanishing within 20 years. That’s the sort of knowledge you can sink your teeth into; the sort of knowledge that makes belief obsolete.

Sooner or later, it will catch up with everyone. Right now, for me here in New Jersey, it’s more of a minor inconvenience. Heck, the longer it takes for Winter to set in, the better. For folks in California, dealing with more fires sucks a bit more. Miami residents might also have some moaning to do with more storms to run way from. But, at least here in America, we are well equipped to handle these “spurts” of badly-behaved weather because of the infrastructure and the general better wellbeing of a relatively high amount of the citizens.

Not so for the third world. There, this Global Warming thingy takes on epic proportions. Of the top 20 impacted countries, 16 are African. The continent is 0.5 Celsius hotter than 100 years ago. Kenya alone is 3.5 Celsius hotter than just 20 years ago (hence the emotional appeal at the start of this article). 80% of Lake Chad in West Africa has gone up in smoke in the last 20 years. My personal favorite is River Semliki, which essentially serves as the line separating Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Melting polar ice caps have caused this river to alter it’s course several times since 1960, causing all kinds of confusion about the border between the countries.

The toll of this has been enormous. More disease (e.g. malaria) in the Rwandan highlands, starvation everywhere, whole habitats wiped out, extinction of animal/plant species. Most of the African economy is based on Agriculture, so one can imagine how much this sets everything back. Even when countries are able to sidestep some of the primary issues, there are other problems to contend with. For instance, during the Kenyan drought (Kenya is getting hit pretty hard) of the late 90′s, most of the GDP losses came because of reduced hydro-electric power. For a continent that is supposed to be taking confident economic strides – or working on it – into the future, this spells big trouble because the real fireworks haven’t even started yet.

So, whose fault is it? Well, this can be looked at from a couple of angles. The earth is changing. Like I said, weather will become more and more extreme until…well, let’s just say that we only have limited time here before conditions make it impossible for us to survive; or maybe we’ll all go to heaven or…gulp…hell. In any case, we are somewhat helpless in preventing the outcome. Humanity alone cannot create the conditions that will destroy this planet. That said, we contribute to it. How much we actually contribute is a subject of much argument (although most voices seem to lean to the “it’s mostly our fault” side).

The bottom line is that we must adjust our behavior to suit the circumstances so we can address our own contributions before it is too late.

This is where the unfairness that is sometime inherent in life comes in. You see, Africa and the rest of the third world…their contribution towards the “Green-House” gases that feed Global Warming is negligent. However, the consequences of Global Warming are felt the most in these places. The big boys who are responsible for most of it are much better able to handle the potential negative effects of climate change. We are just not all on equal footing.

The offshoot of this is that Africa can’t do much to fix the grand problem. What Africa can do is deal with the effects with innovation. More diverse cropping techniques, for instance to allow mangrove plants survive in salt-water. What Africa can do is ensure that, as it ramps up economic development, it initiates more “green” methods to ensure that the continent doesn’t fall in line with those who have gone before. There must be more awareness, and more education on the subject of Climate Change. The Victoria Institute of Science and Technology in Kisumu, Kenya is doing quite a bit to advance “green technology” for economic growth. More initiatives like these are needed. One can’t seem to talk about Africa without bringing up corruption, greed, war etc. The fight goes on against these problems.

As for the developed world, they must do more…both in reducing emissions and in helping the third world to weather the coming storm. They can help to build the green economies, help in providing technological know-how, in addition to aid. The developed countries have to commit to the required targets that have been established by “Kyoto” and others like that. The consequences are too great if they fail.

This problem, though not of the highest importance to them yet, will spread soon enough, so it must be addressed. This will not be easy. There just isn’t enough pain associated with Global Warming to force the drastic steps that have to be taken. It’s almost like something massive has to happen to really get people going…like Manhattan sinking (if it was somewhere in Jersey no one would care).

For others, “Green” practices would only slow them down. China and India are well on the way to becoming global powerhouses…

WORLD: “You need to slow down your industrial development and make your economy greener”

CHINA: “Why?”

WORLD: “Because of emissions and global warming and…stuff”

CHINA: “Why now…why not when others were on the way to the top?”

WORLD: “Er…er…because we didn’t know then. We know now”

CHINA: “Yeah…that’ll happen”

You get the picture. Sigh. There will be challenges. Everyone will have to take a hit, one way or the other. Better now than later though.

And for you and me…what can we do? I won’t pretend that I am particularly proactive about this in my daily life. Like most others, I have trouble seeing how li’l ol’ me can possibly impact the whole. It’s much easier to expect Governments and rich folks to chip in first. Still, I am working on it. Small things first, turning off lights, watching my fuel consumption, cutting down on waste in general etc. Small things. However, they add up.

And we can all help raise more awareness around this issue. After all, this planet is home to us all.

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