tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post6611738649657522519..comments2023-09-03T00:36:01.266+12:00Comments on South America Bidsta: The Paradoxes of Development Part 1Simon Bidwellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08669045345877026955noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-60813176894549653862008-06-01T14:40:00.000+12:002008-06-01T14:40:00.000+12:00Very true and your previous posts are noted. Your ...Very true and your previous posts are noted. Your observations are not lost on me either and yes, they do refer to the developed world not just us. The Americans I was with in China were suprised to find a laughing chattering people playing games in the parks in the afternoon. They admitted to thinking it would be all dull and depressing as it was a communist country.One of my friends was pondering as to why this apparent enjoyment and community life was not really the case at home. The conclusions we came to: Everyone drives everywhere, then straight into the garage at home at night to their own house. No community interaction there. They aren't free to play ping pong at 5pm 'cos they're still working to pay for all their cars and houses. People are lucky to have time for their spouse and kids. In rural china it's no point working more as you won't be paid more and there isn't much to buy anyway. (Of course the Chinese are hellbent on progress and many absolutely aspire to what we have. There is a saying there which goes "A man is happy when he has a Western house and a Japanese wife who cooks Chinese food".)I'm not sure the happy afternoons will always be the same in Ji Xian. I was however very impressed at how the old people were so fit and all working out at the parks and not marginalized and isolated like they are here.(Losing their license not an issue when they have never had one)<BR/>The flip side of that society is the unimaginable grief caused by things like the one child policy when all those only children were killed in the collapsing schools. State employees in China still lose their jobs if they violate the rule and only the wealthy can afford the heavy fines imposed.<BR/><BR/>New Zealand is not without it's shallow negative and materialistic attitudes. Not as bad here as in the States where you can meet significant numbers of people who really have been brainwashed by marketing and yes, even whole groups prepared to judge their peers and acquaintances primarily by what they have.<BR/><BR/>My take on it:<BR/>Someone (and I'm sorry I have forgotten who...) once said that to be happy a man (or woman)needs:<BR/><BR/>1. something to do<BR/>2. something to love<BR/>3. something to hope for.<BR/><BR/>This is very true. You will note that "something to have" is not listed. And, in my opinion, anything that interferes with one of these fundamentals tends to decrease happiness and stisfaction not increase it.<BR/>For example - working so hard to pay for your new cars that you are grumpy with your family and never talk to your wife anymore (taking away something you love). The Chinese 1 child policy violates this rule in a different way. But note that in the first case a choice was made.<BR/>At least we have the choice to be as happy as we want.Especially you, who has never even looked like getting sucked into pointless consumerism.<BR/><BR/>And one last thing:<BR/>Alot of cultures are more vibrant than ours. Sometimes this seems to correlate with sunshine... the more dour races in the world seem to live closer to the poles. Sometimes it seems to correlate with development or lack of it as you point out.<BR/>In the case of New Zealand I think many people are just quietly happy and satisfied. Because there is no big struggle in the past or present there is not that much need to emphasize it. That makes us much less colorful to the outsider but no less personally happy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-48313637035533085792008-06-01T10:55:00.000+12:002008-06-01T10:55:00.000+12:00Ups! Somehow half of the text in that first paragr...Ups! Somehow half of the text in that first paragraph was lost. It should have said "I invite you to read my <A HREF="http://www.roadjunky.com/guide/1544/new-zealand-travel-guide-more-than-just-sheep" REL="nofollow"> Guide to New Zealand</A>. <BR/><BR/>Than it said: "I also read that Economist article, and have argued something similar in the <A HREF="http://bidsta.blogspot.com/2008/02/why-do-i-care.html" REL="nofollow">first post</A> of this 'development series'.<BR/><BR/>Then I also mentioned that I <I>was</I> just referring to the man-made aspect of the urban environments, and referred to a post from a couple of years ago on <A HREF="http://bidsta.blogspot.com/2006/03/kiwi-towns.html" REL="nofollow">New Zealand towns</A>.Simon Bidwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08669045345877026955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-26536811213231239632008-06-01T10:49:00.000+12:002008-06-01T10:49:00.000+12:00Terri, thanks for the comments -- I think you have...Terri, thanks for the comments -- I think you have most certainly outdone my original post as far as defining quality of life, as well as providing another perspective. However, you can be sure that I was most certainly not playing down the natural beauty of New Zealand in its myriad permutations -- I invite <A HREF="http://bidsta.blogspot.com/2008/02/why-do-i-care.html" REL="nofollow">first post</A> of this 'development' series. <BR/><BR/>I appreciate how you really make the most of the opportunities around you and maybe wouldn't want to be anywhere else (for people into adventure sports, there are few better places than NZ). On the other hand, I'm not alone in finding that shallow, negative, materialist attitudes are quite pervasive here -- a number of foreign migrants have mentioned that NZers often aren't very interested in engaging beyond a superficial level.<BR/><BR/>In any case, this wasn't meant to be a put down of NZ. It could equally apply to most other 'developed' places. In some respects it was (in a questioning way) a possible self-critique of myself and others who have similar experiences. What is so charming and attractive about places like Antigua? Could it just be that we enjoy a position of privilege -- inherited from those whose surroundings were designed around a life guarantee of privilege?<BR/><BR/>I think there is maybe slightly more to it than that, which I will try to explore in some future posts.Simon Bidwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08669045345877026955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-40815965882330303912008-06-01T07:56:00.000+12:002008-06-01T07:56:00.000+12:00Our Cities..."Our cities have nothing that is visi...Our Cities...<BR/>"Our cities have nothing that is visionary and very little that is even attractive"<BR/><BR/>No!!!<BR/>I immeditately invite you to come at any time to visit my current hometown of Auckland - city of sails, beaches big and small, boats, bikes, kayaks, the scenic Waitakere ranges..need I go on? Were you just talking about man made attractions/buildings? I'm not sure we need many... we have great views of the harbour from every hill (even most of our workplaces), most of us can get to a beach in less than 20 mins. You can catch a fish off the wharf or 100m out in a kayak. The trail runs I do in the Waitaks are along mindblowingly cool coastal clifftops through flax and toi toi that barely gives up space for a path and reminds me of what it must have been like when the Maori's chased the moa. <BR/>I can't comment on Wellington as I don't live there but seem to remember watching the dawn as I ran along Oriental parade on previous visits was pretty nice.<BR/>As for Christchurch - certainly the place that could most easily succumb to flat grey boringness - the Sumner area is great and another playground for cycling kayaking and trail running. And they have got a park and a river in midtown. And just to the south in a place you may remember...the tops of the Southern Alps are visible in the distance on a clear day.<BR/>Why people choose to live in Tawa or Papakura beats me. I can only guess that they are focussed on other things, prepared to travel further, or simply able to find enough beauty in their own flower gardens.<BR/><BR/>The sun rises and sets every day, every where. It is hard to find anything more beautiful than the coming and going of the sun over the oceans and the hills. It doesn't really matter whether the buildings are pretty or not. Man just cannot compete with nature on this level. I also loved the Zambesi sunsets, Oh and the ones on Santorini Island just like you liked the ones in Antigua. But I also think that when people are travelling they take more time to look. You can't forget to do it at home too or you will miss them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-36933248096420238172008-05-31T21:44:00.000+12:002008-05-31T21:44:00.000+12:00It's not all bad...I got up this morning and jogg...It's not all bad...<BR/>I got up this morning and jogged to work at the hospital to see my patients (and perform one small operation) I then ran up Mt Eden and looked out over the beautiful view. The bright sun encouraged me to head for the waterfront. As I ran past the coffee shop at Mission Bay I spotted a bunch of my cycling buddies at their regular Sat am post bike ride gathering. I stopped and chatted to catch up. One of my friends who used to ride but just had a baby had brought the baby to visit. (Oh I promise our social interactions are not timid or superficial. The cycling crowd is like a village - some people good, some pains in the ass, some variable...)From there I went past Ferg's kayaks and as it was such a great day for a paddle, jumped in one of their demo kayaks ( I'm allowed cos I know them) and paddled for about 1.5 hrs. This had me recalling my kayak trip of last weekend when Jeremy and I caught 13 snapper (of legal size) from the kayaks. Jem gave one away to someone on the beach who was amazed at our catch. The day before he gave some away to a Korean fisherman who was line fishing off the rocks and had caught nothing. The guy spoke no English but was really grateful.That day ended with me kayaking in watching the sunset over the harbour and then us filleting the fish and making ceviche and sashimi with it and eating some fried. Oh - we had to call up Jeremy's mate Nga who has a huge Rarotongan family to come get some for a feast as we couldn't eat it all.<BR/>What does tomorrow bring? Probably a bike ride and definitely another kayak attack on the fish at low tide (10am).<BR/>Surely this is living the dream?<BR/>Oh - and I have a job to go to next week and I absolutely know I am going to get paid and that most of our equipment works most of the time...<BR/><BR/> I do take your point on some levels. When I was in China 2 weeks ago I spent time in Beijing, Ji Xian (rural city) and some villages near the Great Wall. The preservation of "village life" there was noted, especially in the rural areas. The public parks were full of people (old and young) playing games of ping pong, basketball and in the early morning full of old people doing exercises and tai chi and laughing and chatting with each other. These things can become lost in a society when everyone has their own house, car and garage door with remote control! Alot of NZders have managed to recreate a village life for ourselves because of group sports or in some cases culture (eg many Maori live in very socially interactive settings and also know how to enjoy the gifts of the forests and the sea - although I know the newspaper would prefer to report on the ones hitting their kids). Plenty of people are very happy and satisfied in NZ, but is just isn't newsworthy. <BR/><BR/>The Economist (Jan 2007) explored the issue of how much capitalism/growth/money can make us happy: Basically, past a certain threshold (below which there is significant stress) greater incomes do not make us happier. Capitalism tends to turn luxuries into "necessities", ever raising the bar. Relative wealth has a far greater impact on perceived happiness than actual wealth (just being better off than the rest of the village, whether that is Grenwich Village or Huangya Guan). Their conclusion: "Capitalism makes you well off.And it also leaves you free to be as unhappy as you choose. Asking anything more of it would be asking too much."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-72779690808707833772008-05-30T00:47:00.000+12:002008-05-30T00:47:00.000+12:00Thanks for the comments. Simon: yep, likewise, I'v...Thanks for the comments. <BR/><BR/>Simon: yep, likewise, I've just been talking to a Mexican friend who is intensely proud of the (industrial, westernised or 'agringada') city of Monterrey as the emblem of his country's development. <BR/><BR/>Paola: to paraphrase, "we are what we are, because our very problems taught us to appreciate the joy of simple everyday things...that you don't have in your country because perfection comes pre-fabricated". <BR/><BR/>Exactly. <BR/><BR/> Do we conclude from this that struggle and suffering forges the spirit? But no one would choose needless suffering, and surely our goal is to help others avoid it?Simon Bidwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08669045345877026955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-37508610268514631642008-05-29T21:05:00.000+12:002008-05-29T21:05:00.000+12:00Great writing Simon - it's a paradox I feel like ...Great writing Simon - it's a paradox I feel like printing out your post and pinning it up on my office wall. Pity the Spanish comments are inaccessible to some of us!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-42093277496793575052008-05-28T03:33:00.000+12:002008-05-28T03:33:00.000+12:00Ah! y olvide decirte... me trajiste recuerdos de i...Ah! y olvide decirte... me trajiste recuerdos de infancia que que estaban muy escondidos. Qué susto... creí que se habían perdido!!Paolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12808033813971228930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-51440976668476047802008-05-28T03:26:00.000+12:002008-05-28T03:26:00.000+12:00Somos lo que somos y como somos, sencillamente por...Somos lo que somos y como somos, sencillamente porque los problemas en sí mismos nos enseñaron el valor y la alegria que ofrecen las cosas simples de cada día. Cosas que en paises como el tuyo no se encuentran, porque de alguna manera la "perfección", como la comida enlatada, viene pre-fabricada. No creas, yo también extraño la casas de teja de barro y sentarme a tomar mazato (aunque dudo que en Guatemala tomen mazato) en frente de la tienda de algun pueblito de calles coloniales... o de dónde crees que vengo yo?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6254679.post-37732097530255613262008-05-28T02:29:00.000+12:002008-05-28T02:29:00.000+12:00That reminds me of when I was travelling through X...That reminds me of when I was travelling through Xinjiang, through the south of the Taklamakan with a Uighur friend. We visited Hotan which I thought was truly an amazing place, preserving a lot of the Uighur peoples' culture and way of life. Then we went to Kashgar, which is connected through to China by railway, and which as a result is much more developed. My friend preferred Kashgar as representing the future of his people. <BR/><BR/>An interesting lesson there for me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com