Morning-Thoughts

This morning, I looked up at the sky and saw that it was trying to mimic the desert sands, who remembers its days as the sea, whose waters form the clouds. At that moment, I was reminded that all things are connected, every thing has its own purpose, but nothing exists on its own. And I wondered, "What is Mali's purpose for me? What is my purpose for being in Mali? If Malians didn't exist, how would the world be changed?"

Yesterday, I was having a conversation with a group of men and I was explaining my work in Mali and how important I think education is. And, I asked them about their work. One man does nothing, the other is a farmer and the other builds houses. I asked them what they thought about recreating the literacy center in town. One man's response was that he only thinks about money, so he doesn't have time to learn to read. The other guy, who does nothing, never went to school and he's too lazy to do anything but sit in the shade. And the other guy gave me no comment.

The two men who do work, said that they are out of work at the moment. I pointed out that instead of just sitting, they could be sitting and learning to read. The one who only thinks about getting money, said that he doesn't see the point in learning. I stated, that educating himself could help him find different work besides just farming, so he could always get money. I stressed the importance of education in Mali and they just looked at me with blank stares.

I've heard people say that PC volunteers, who serve in Africa, become cynics. I can definitely see where that comes from. Maybe the world needs people who just sit around and do nothing. I think one of the reasons why it's so hard to make change in Africa is because Africans were "the first people." Their ways of living goes back far beyond anyone else's and the people who came after them, learned from the Africans and maybe this is why some Malians don't want to change. (I wonder if they even know that they were the first?) But another part of my job is to find people in my community who can help ignite change.

What would the world be like if the sun never dared to evaporate the seas that covered the deserts of Mali? Would there ever be a "Mali?" Would I be volunteering in the Peace Corps? Would I even exist?! I have no idea where my African ancestors come from.......However, I know that I have a purpose in Mali. I am an agent of change. Just my mere presence in Mali is an agent of change. And that change is good, because God created me and He only creates good things.

Everything that God created is connected. The same energy that fuels the sun, causes the wind to blow and churns the sea, also lives in me. And God also gave us the free will to do what we want. I want to be like the sun, heat things up and create a new atmosphere to get things moving, but I can't do it alone.