Michael, while that story sadly turned out to be an urban myth ("if it
sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't") there are numerous
instances of resourcefulness one encounters as one wanders about in
poor societies where people survive, if not thrive, in the most
challenging circumstances -- and here's the incredible part: with
their humanity intact; and indeed remaining more human and humane than
many if not most people one encounters in cities. I have been shamed
many times by the generosity I have encountered among people that many
consider poor.
- The micro-banking revolution began in Bangladesh
- villagers in the Indian subcontinent often build their own satellite
dishes out of scrap metal they find on the roadside
- An entire class of students gets through school sharing a single
textbook per subject; they end up with far sharper memories
- The humble streetlamp is the venue for many a night class
One down side of the new prosperity -- and who doesn't want to be
prosperous? -- is the kind of ingenuity, quickwittedness and
autonomous behavior that didn't take uninterrupted and clean power,
water, roads, etc. for granted. The upside, of course, is that people
can spend their lives doing more than merely surviving. But even in
extreme circumstances, the arts have always thrived, if only as a
means of venting one's anguish and pain, a case in point being the
Roma people of Europe.
-murli
On Jan 12, 2008 1:59 AM, Michael Micheletti
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Your statement reminds me of something I read (sorry can't remember the
> source) about the design of a writing instrument for the US space program.
> The astronauts needed to be able to write in zero gravity, upside down, in a
> vacuum, while Martians were attacking, etc. A large program was established;
> some many hours and millions of dollars later the Fisher Space Pen emerged
> to great praise. The Russian space program, constrained by budget, gave
> their astronauts pencils.
>
> Michael Micheletti
>
--
murli nagasundaram, ph.d. | www.murli.com | [EMAIL PROTECTED] | +91 99
02 69 69 20
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