random thoughts

"The old-fashioned slave trader told himself that he was dealing with a species that was not entirely human...He also understood that slaves were fundamental to the survival of his own society, that they were the foundation of his economy. The modern slave trader assures herself (or himself) that the desoerate people are better off earning one dollar a day than no dolllars at all, and that they are receiving the opportunity to become integrated into the larger world community. She also understands that these desperate people are fundamental to the survival of her company, that they are the foundation of her own lifestyle. She never stops to think about the larger implications of what she, her lifestyle, and the economic system behind them are doing to the world -- or of how they may ultimately impact her children's future."

-- John Perkins, Confessions of an Economic Hitman, p. 213

A profound quote from a book I'm reading. While it might seem unrelated to my experience here, it has everything to do with it. It is because of these types of rationalities that I have to pass straving street children everyday or turn away 2-3 people looking for work, any thing to make a little bit of money, each day. I can't help but think of the ways my own lifestyle, the way I have put my personal comfort above others, allows me to justify poverty and sweatshops. Well, I can't ignore the poverty here by turning of the TV. It's literally on my doorsteps here.