I’m reminded of a thought I had once before coming here – that the idea of “development” is too uni-directional, and that going into developing countries to “help them” but never recognizing the ways in which they are helping us too is actually counter-productive. It only works to exacerbate the erroneous idea that we in the developed world have reached the pinnacle of a functional society. In Dominican Republic, as in most of Latin America, there are a lot of screamingly obvious areas that need improvement – garbage disposal, population control, joblessness, hunger, the works. The US may not, at first glance, need as much help in those areas, but there are more subtle needs, that run much deeper. For example, where has the richness of family life gone? And, since when has trying to get rich been a good excuse for skipping out on our loved ones? I shouldn’t be shocked that people are happy here, but I am.
I know that I have a lot to teach here and also a whole lot to learn. It’s this beautiful exchange that fills me with joy these days. It’s not because of being charitable or a “do-gooder,” because I don’t see it that way. When I had to describe this project to people to explain what I was doing with my life, I had it down to a concise, repeatable phrase, “I’m going to create gardens for an orphanage the Dominican Republic.” Oh, everyone just thought that was so great and “good for you,” but it was lacking half of the story, which was, “I am going to Dominican Republic to learn about love and community and how to live with abundant joy.”
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