Over the past couple of days I've been battling with a tummy bug. Obviously, this is not an enjoyable experience, as the majority of you will attest to, but, looking on the bright side, it made me think of you guys again - as, without internet, I had to take a hiatus from reading the blog.
Anyway, my stomach made me compare my situation to yours. While I lay on the couch in front of a beautiful summer's day, I asked myself: where would I rather be? Here, or there?
Quite obviously, the answer is there. In India, you are confronting pain. Discomfort surrounds you. Desperation and squalor become commonplace so much so that, as many of you have mentioned, beggars and streetchildren and the like hardly get a second look. Some may say that this is an ugly atmosphere. However, I would contend that below the surface, such a picture holds beautiful value.
India taught me that the world is based on relativities. Emotions, values, experiences, etc. are based on comparisons. Having witnessed the scenes of desperation, squalor, poverty that surround you, you attain an incredible gratitude for the hand you have been dealt. How lucky are we to have grown up in Central Auckland, in comfort and immersed in opportunity when people who are our equals have been subjected to such an unfair fate. How insignificant is one's upset stomach when compared with the malnutrition and starvation of so many worldwide. Yet, how difficult is it for us to really appreciate this while tucked away in the comfort of a New Zealand summer?
It has struck me that many of Mr Skeen's 'Thoughts' at the end of his daily blogs are actually questions. As many of you have relayed, India leaves you with more questions than answers, but that is its beauty. Where else would you ask yourself: Who deals the cards? What can I do? How does this all fit together and function? What is the 'right way' to do things? etc. etc. the list goes on forever.
As you begin your time of rest, relaxation, and reflection in Goa, the questions will pile up and the number of answers will pail in comparison. But, hey, 'that's okay.' If we knew all the answers, life would be pretty boring.
Off to enjoy New Years in the Bay of Islands, with far less sexual harassment than you will experience, hopefully.
Tom Rapson
2011/2012 Tour Member
PS I have read every single one of your blogs - even the parents (I don't know why, I'm addicted!) They are incredible. Thank you for taking me back to a place I hold really dear.
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