I know a man who can’t stop focusing on the bad things that are happening in the world. Maybe it’s because he watches so much network news, or maybe because he’s a high school counselor who has the outlook of any older man who perceives the youth of the day when they are at their worst, “kids these days,” he says. “They’re getting worse.” Which is probably the one thing every old man has said and then–the world keeps turning, spinning.
I told him about a village my dad taught school at back in the 1970s in Nepal. Back then there was no electricity. Everyone stayed in the village. If your father was a farmer, you’d be a farmer. The cast system was very strict then. Girls were made to marry at 11 or 12 years old. There was only one girl in the whole school. 40 years later my dad returned to the village. They had gotten power. The school was larger. half of the students were young girls. Couples were no longer wed without consent, and not before they were in their early 20s. When asked how many children they would have nearly all of them said one, maybe two. Every little boy, and every little girl wanted to leave the village, go to college in the UK or United States. The quality of life, the education, everything has improved. My dad helped bring them internet, and suddenly all the knowledge in the world was available to them.
This is a small example of a small town, but the fact is, this is a true example that is happening all over the world. That’s how I see the world moving forward.
Winter Station 