Haiti: The World's Scale Model

After the earthquake that leveled Haiti, this tiny Island, always known for aspects such as extreme poverty and voodoo, had become a shining spot, a topic of more and more blogs and blog-entries (has gotten a few of mine as well), political speeches, rescue plans, economical plans and even religious (and moronic) speeches. Pictures of the devastation, of people hurt and corpses flood the media from every angle to the point where I'm almost expecting my penpals to include a note or two on the subject in their next letters or e-mails.

The thing is that the other day I was thinking about Haiti, remembering all the crap mentioned by Mr.Pat Robertson (that stuff about how Haiti deserves this, and how it is their fault because they made a Pact with the Devil), as well as other matters related with the subject, the huge movilization of the US, the taking over they are making, in order to get things done, the condemnation it earns from other governments that see this an attempt of the US to take over the country and so on. Well, as I was mulling on the matter, thinking about what's happening in this country, I started finding paralelisms between Haiti and the rest of the world. Corruption, governments that exploit the population, strangle them in poverty even of the land itself could give so much. Natural disasters beating it up and other people basically stealing their richness, exploiting the cracks in the system for drugs, for hiding, for human trafficking (here thinking about the 33 "orphan kids" - and while it's 'still to be seen', for me it was a huge mistake, an unforgivable mistake to try to take the kids out of the country, particularly through illegal means, and take them from their parents) and so on.

It hit me that the world, our "so much better" world is actually the same, on a different scale. Natural disasters are hitting us everywhere. Tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, climate change, snow storms just to mention a few. Corrupt governments are found basically everywhere, and I'd dare to say that some places even have a surproduction of corruption. The things that happen here, in the whole planet, in this age are things that a few years ago we thought completely unspeakable. At some of the things I find in the papers I can't stop but think at my history lessons, at how I was shocked that people in the Middle Age didn't fight,weren't outraged, how they didn't just kill the people imposing those hineous rules, and now here they are and I see the people hardly react, hardly be heard. We have food shortages, and problems with adequate access to food (given how fresh products are often more and more expensive, how farmers in less developped countries are pushed out of the activity thanks to the importing of mass produced, genetically altered, heavily subsidized products from much richer markets, which on a whim can move from food to biofuel producing suddenly cutting off the food supply of quite a huge portion of the world, in favour of cars), education deficiencies, problems with adecuate and timely access to health care, just to mention a few.

I wonder if the Illuminated Spokepersons of the Baptist Church would then say that the World has made a Pact with the Devil, but one thing I would agree in the face of this global case is that, yes, we did brought this upon ourselves. By patronizing corruption acts, by allowing ourselves to be charmed by shiny promises and empty words, by not looking deeper, by not questioning, by becoming lazy and careless. We brought this upon ourselves for not being careful, for thinking that "waste" is a right born out of economical priviledge, instead of looking at it as a crime against the planet. I'm not talking here about the kid who won't eat all its veggies, to whom its parents say that he or she should eat and look at the poor kids who have nothing to eat.  I talk here about the use-and-throw of stuff, the amount of garbage we produce, the consumist need to have more, to replace for the newest, for feeding our wastebaskets more than what we feed our pets.

Haiti isn't a poor little country sharing the Hispaniola Island, because they can't even have a whole Island for themselves, plagued with stupid people that doesn't know how to do things well. No, Haiti isn't like that either because "that's what happen when all you have are black people" (like something I heard some extremely illuminated coworker of mine, with far more insulting words I won't repeat here), or what happens with "Non-Christians", or "people with poor-mentality" or whatever other excuse you want to hold up to basically say that "it won't happen to us". Haiti is the world's little scale model, a fastforward window to where are we going. Haiti is just as beautiful and full of opportunities as our planet. Haiti has a very beautiful language--- just as our planet (well, I'm a full pro-French and I hold French up high, but that's not the point here), and their people are as beautiful, good and heterogeneous as the rest of us, and what happened to Haiti, what's happening, is also happening to the whole planet, to each and every one of our "much better" countries. And you know what? We are going to get leveled. So WAKE UP PLANET and let's do something about it. Not just pep-talk and plans and blog-entries and Tea Parties. No more finger pointing and using the crisis to defend "our righteous thesis and standing point", but lets roll up our sleeves and work.

No idea how? Here are some ideas I have:

1. Prefer fresh products, nationally produced or those produced by countries that also buy our products. If we can't get fresh products for any reason, let's plant them! Yeah, perhaps it's easy for someone with a garden, or gardening skills, but what about people living in an appartment? Well, you can also do something. Have you heard about "plants in pots"? Sure, maybe not an orange tree or a corn plant, but how about your own herbs? Oh, keep it legal, so unless you live in Holland, do not plan your own cannabis.

2. Recycle, reuse all you can and reject products that would only litter the planet. Carry your own bags, for example, and reject the plastic bags at stores. You can go further and even avoid buying at places where you know will enforce the use of unnecesary bags (those that have check points and you have to leave the store with your bag sealed).

3. Talk with your local authorites about places where you can go plant trees, and the types of trees you can plant there, and organize a "greentour" one day with your friends and/or family, or with yourself, or as a date (Guys, this is an awesome way to conquer a chick!) to go plant a few trees. You can totally combine this activity with a picnic! (No plastic at the picnic! So sandwiches in reusable paper bags or wrapped in napkins, natural beverages in reusable containers, lots of fruits, cheese and natural treats for all, and carry always a small bag (or maybe a few for slective garbage) and don't leave your garbage on others!

4. Print less. Think about lending from friends or the local library instead of making copies if you can.

5. Get unplugged. Turn off the computer, the TV, pull everything you don't need from the electrical socket as much as you can (okay, the fridge gara stay). Read during the day, go outdoors, open doors and windows instead of putting on the fan and the air conditioner. Take advantage of the natural light, and if the way your place doesn't allow so, you can always trick in a little bit of light with mirrors! They are completely energy efficient, carbon neutral, and work since the ancient times! At night, from time to time, prefer "mood lighting" with candles and other choices that do not involve electricity or an intensive fossil fuel use.

6. Wake up earlier and get to bed earlier too. The night is pretty, but lets take advantage of all that natural light.

7. Always prefer recycled things.

8. Buy things that will last, be careful with them and don't replace them unless they've stopped, really stopped working. Avoid with this the "fashion" products. Clothes, accesories, devices and all those flashy things that are good because they are new and the "latest". Just think about the space, and all the garbage you will start producing once they are not "in" and you have to replace them. Not to mention all the good money thrown into the garbage.

9. Don't drive unless you really-really-really-really-absolutely-no-way-of-getting-out-of-it have to. Walk, go with a bike, after all it took you a good while and a lot of falling, bruising and crying until you finally got to do it and it would be stupid that now that you can do it, you won't; or take the public transportation, because that's why it created it for. All of them work!

10. As much as you can, apply the DIY: Do It Yourself. If you are insecure, still go ahead! You'd be amazed at all the things you can do. :-)

This are just ten idea, small ideas you can apply wherever you are, but I'm sure that you can find more and more and more! And hey, if you want to share them do so! I'd be happy to hear about more ideas! So, roll'em up and lets get the party started!