Two Doors Down

she died on Sunday morning
for three days and nights
they broadcast their lament
loudspeaker strapped to a palm tree
two doors down from here

relatives and neighbours
met, sat, ate, drank and talked
under the temporary canopy
holding the gestures of sympathy
fitting for such a loss

my culture is different
we do grief in a 1-hour service
hiding behind our sunglasses
unsure of what to say
hoping maybe tomorrow we'll feel better

I'd rather she lived-
surely even a weak life beats the best farewell?
I've still got lots to say
about life eternal and healing in this one
but right now her body is gone and it's quiet

Not Sure

just today
let us not have an opinion

Cheryl started a post with these words and I've been thinking about them all week. I've been trying to put aside the familiar tools I employ in the effort to win an argument. (Usually about stupid things that I don't really care about anyway.) Attempting to move beyond the need to impress. Trialling alternative phrases in my vocabulary. For example-

That's a good question.
What do you think about that?
I'm not sure.
Can you tell me about your experiences of....?
That's something I'd like to learn more about.
What makes you say that...
I don't know.

It's a bit weird at times. But my opinion is: sometimes it is freeing not to have to have an opinion.

While knowing may make us feel important, it is love that really builds up... Anyone who claims to know all the answers doesn't really know very much. 1 Corinthians 8:1-2

Women's Code

Theary C. Seng, Executive Director of The Center For Social Development wrote a powerful column in the Phnom Penh Post entitled 'Love For Sale: Neary Kroup Lak and the Economics of Sex.' The opening paragraphs read-

I believe the health of our nation hinges on the liberation of our female population. We, Khmers, cannot expect social progress and economic development to occur in a vacuum, without the empowerment of our sisters, daughters and wives. This will requires us to alter our thinking regarding what it means to be an 'ideal Khmer woman', neary kroup lak, as outlined by the Women's Code of Conduct or Chhap Srei. She need not be the deferential, submissive, homely, soft-spoken, well-mannered, long-haired, almond-eyed Asian mannequin of society.

Instead, let her breathe air after 6pm; let her be educated; let her speak her mind; let her explore; let her skin and scrape her knees a little.

Well said! It is time that Khmer women start re-writing the Chhap Srei.

[More stuff from the Centre For Social Development here]

Greed is good?

My friend Lisa recently blogged about how living in Cambodia has caused her to reflect again on past university economics lectures. She questions whether the promotion of unrestrained consumerism is sustainable. Here are my evolving ideas:

"Greed is good"is a catchy opener for a macroeconomics lecture. Similarly, my high school economics teacher seemed to hold the faith statement that "there is no power greater than the invisible hand". I'm not really comfortable with either of these but I do believe that global trade is better than protectionist policies and economic isolation. Global trade (dare I use the word globalisation?) is better for the economy and for the environment.

An alternative is needed to counter the doctrine of "greed is good"and the accompanying belief that we should simply let the markets do their thing. One option is to argue the "trade or..." line. This point of view looks for ways to reduce consumption and buy locally produced goods. A second alternative is to adopt a "trade and...." perspective. This is to say that trade and aid and laws, charters & policies are necessary and beneficial for development. Trade needs to be supported and monitored to encourage governments, businesses and citizens to act responsibly.

It is important to try to understand the ecological stress put on the planet because of trade. Yet even the poorest countries, who contribute very little in terms of global commodities, are capable of causing immense damage to the environment. North Koreans strip their forests bare for fuel because they are desperately poor and cut off from the rest of the world. Subsistence farmers across the world use chemical fertilisers that damage their health as well as the soil. Why? Because they either don't know the dangers or they don't have a choice. Old, poorly maintained vehicles chomp petrol and pollute the air as they crawl along congested roads in Asian and African cities. Slum-dwellers in Nairobi, Kenya do not even have enough proper toilets (about one per 1300 people). Residents therefore use 'flying toilets,' which means they defecate in a plastic bag and then fling it into the street. [Katey- I did read your thesis!] Clearly this is an environmental problem as well as a health & social hazard.

Rich and poor countries need to cooperate in order to find solutions to these problems. Environmental challenges such as global warming are critical issues for our generation. A "trade and..." approach will help the poorest countries to grow and the rest of the world to develop more sustainable patterns of living. For example, green technologies may be traded so that continuous innovation is encouraged. Business leaders can network in order to discover creative ways of becoming more socially responsible. Government leaders need to set clear targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions and encourage investments in alternative energy. Australia and the US should ratify the Kyoto protocol.

In terms of economics I'm for a "trade and..."model for growth. I also believe in a power greater than Adam Smith's "invisible hand". This means that I seek to be empowered to make these issues personal through things such as periodically checking consumption patterns, sharing resources with the poor, living more simply in order to be free from greed, engaging in advocacy as well as enjoying amazing produce from local and international markets. Lisa- I agree that it is time to move beyond silly "greed is good" macroeconomics 101.

Running

Last week I read an article on Fred Thompson, a US presidential candidate. He's an actor (Law and Order), a lobbyist and a politician. Thompson is coming in second in national polls of Republican primary voters, behind Mr Guiliani. But his early stabs at campaigning have earned "stinging reviews":

Asked to describe the difference between his policies and those of his Republican rivals, he said: 'Well, to tell you the truth, I haven't spent a whole lot of time going into the details of their positions.'
Even Mr Thompson's friends thought that was pathetic. "It's called 'running' for the presidency, sir, and right now all you're doing is ambling," grumbled the American Spectator, a conservative journal.

(The Economist)

On Saturday morning I met some friends at Java coffee shop. I happened that all of us at the table were Australians. As we talked, I threw in a reminder about the process of voting in the federal elections at the Australian embassy. As few minutes later, one of the group turned to ask me about my work. I was in a can't-be-bothered-explaining-it mood. Sometimes these moments of cheek cause me trouble. This time the resulting exchange ended up being quite funny.

Him: So what do you do?
Me: Not much...
Him: Are you a diplomat?
Me: No

I'm training for a 10km run that will be held at Angkor Wat on December 2. This is a first for me. I've never been much into competitive athletics or team sports. I rather like the idea of "being sporty". For example, the idea of being a basketball player really appeals to me.... but for the fact that I've been waiting for my "growth spurt" since the age of eleven and it still hasn't happened.

So- what does all this have to do with anything? Running. I'm not fast, but I'm starting to like it. I sometimes stumble but don't want to amble. So when it feels like I'm not doing much I tell myself: Eyes up. Breathe deep. Run.

Cost of "free" democracy

While I'm on the topic of free stuff.... I was a little shocked to hear how much money US presidential hopefuls have to raise for their campaign leading up to 2008. In the third quarter of 2007, the following amounts were raised by Democrats:

Hillary Clinton $27 million
Barack Obama $20 million
John Edwards $7 million

And for the Republicans:

Rudy Guiliani $11 million
Mitt Romney $10 million
Fred Thomson $9.3 million

My number-crunch tells me that the Clinton machine hauled in US$12 500 per hour over these past months. When does she get the time to write those Thank You notes?

Cost of "free" education

The latest Phnom Penh Post highlighted a report released on October 5 by NGO Education Partnership (NEP) showing that Cambodian families are being forced to pay a large portion of their monthly income in unofficial fees to public school teachers.

The study involved 210 families with children in grades 1-9. Families from Phnom Penh and three provinces were interviewed. The NEP study revealed that the average cost of sending one child to school is $108.2 per year, or 8.7% of the annual family income. Given that an average family had 3.6 children, almost a third of their income would need to be spent on education to keep all their kids in school. In Takeo province, the cost of sending only one child to grades 7-9 represented 23.7% of total family income. Families in Takeo averaged 4 children.

The report notes that teachers receive only US$30-40 per month. Parents don't blame teachers for taking fees for regular classes and "special extra classes". They blame the government for claiming to provide free public education.

No wonder families can't afford to send all their kids to secondary school.
No wonder girls are dropping out first.
No wonder my young, bright friends at uni would rather study business and accounting over education.

Bored

Proverb for the day:

Intelligent people are always open to new ideas. In fact, they look for them. Prov 18:15

Thought for the day:

I've been thinking today about how to live deliberately. Maybe it is my preferred word for when living a "purpose driven life" seems scary and/or too much hard work.

Over the past week I've had a bunch of meetings that I didn't necessarily choose.... they were just a part of my general work responsibilities. And there's nothing wrong with going to some meetings. But last night I wasn't really sure of what to do with myself when I wasn't being pulled from one thing to another. Instead, I just kinda wandered aimlessly from the couch to the fridge to the guitar to the bookshelf to the coffee pot. Bored. And annoyed at myself for being bored.

So today I spent an hour or so thinking about how I can live deliberately. I hope this next week to work productively, exercise, eat good food and make time to study Khmer. I plan to journal, pray and make spaces for interruptions in order to talk with friends and strangers. I'll see how it all goes, but I'm confident that it will be more fun than 5 hours of Wednesday night TV.