Something To Ponder

Often I question what is “developed.” This past week I lived amongst a community that has no running water, no indoor plumbing (bathrooms), no cars, and no regular electricity which meant of course, no TV, refrigeration, computers or cell phones. Things that if you took any one of them away from us in the States for more than a weekend camping trip we would seriously consider it a test of our survival. However the people in Lagartillo seem to be doing just fine. The aspects of their lives that we consider as undeveloped seem to have helped this community along in a direction that may be far more advanced than our own. True, while we have the convenience of high pressured hot and cold water close at hand in any part of the house and yard (I am counting 15 water valves, including toilets in the modest house I grew up in) our water comes from a treatment plant where it is pumped full of chemicals before traveling miles and miles to our house where we pay a ridicules amount of money for something that literally falls from the sky. In this community the water comes from a spring close to the pueblo and is connected to multiple centrally located stand pipes. Some houses are able to run hoses to these stand pipes, but everyone is close enough to be able to carry enough water to use for the day. Others use their roofs to collect rain water and usually store it in a cistern under the house. The water is clean, chemical free, close, and dependable. Everyone here knows exactly how their system works and so if there is a problem they can quickly fix it. While it is easy to miss an indoor bathroom 10 ft away at 2:00am in the morning, the view of the stars as you look up while fertilizing your favorite fruit tree (yes urine in small quantities is a great fertilizer) makes up for the convenience. When not using the backyard there is a double pitted composting toilet system that every house in the community has adopted. In short, this clean, OK smelling sanitation facility takes what can be a major hazardous waste product in the States and turns it into food for the earth that provides the nutritious fruits and vegetables that make up the diets of most of the people in the community. Horses replace the cars which also means the replacement of traffic jams, road rage, car accidents, car and gas payments, and insurance. Just think, if the next time you wanted to replace your old clunker all you had to do was go to your neighbor and borrow his mustang and some months later you had a free new little car that instead of omitting carbon dioxide as a waste product, omitted fertilizer.

While the community doesn’t have conventional electricity, most of the houses have small solar panels that only provide enough electricity for low voltage lights in the evening. This means that their TV consists of watching the children chase a cow around the streets, cooking with neighbors or just sitting down and having a good conversation. And while some nights I say I would give it all up for a half gallon of ice cream, the truth is, not having a refrigerator means fresh delicious food everyday. It is still under debate which is better. The loss of connectivity without a computer, cell phone or TV means a stronger connection with family and friends. Those that are close to you are always there to lend a helping hand making the onerous tasks we need a thousand machines to do for us, all become manageable.

And last but not least there is food. When it comes to food it is really amazing how efficient we are in America. The amount of meat we are able to produce on our chicken, pig and cattle farms, considering the minimal amount of land use and short time constraints, is absolutely amazing. Then the way that we are able to package it up so that it in no way resembles an animal, transport it insanely long distances and preserve it for unlimited time periods is truly a great example of human ingenuity winning the battle against nature. And I won’t lie; my mouth waters when I think of a boneless Alaskan Salmon cooked perfectly on a gas grill with spices from China, and India, vegetables from Chile, cheese from Europe, and a glass of wine from Australia. Yummm! But then you have Lagartillo. Not nearly as efficient or exciting considering every single meal I have had here has consisted of at least one part beans and another part tortilla. However, to complement the fresh daily made tortillas and beans that come form their own farm, is fresh fruits and vegetables, either from their backyard or their neighbors, fresh daily made cheese from a cow they milked that morning (remember no refrigerator) and coffee they picked and roasted themselves. Only on special occasions do they eat meat, which comes from at least all the way across their back yard where the chickens are running around looking for grubs in the back of the pig pen. There are no chemicals, no preservatives, no use of petroleum in transportation or feed, no use of detrimental packaging or pollutants from animal waste, or energy wasted on preservation. There is only a fresh delicious meal and a close, almost spiritual, relationship with the food that you are consuming. It really is a beautiful thing.

So as I finish hand writing this, blowing out my candle, and heading for bed at a late 8:30 PM, I will lay there and listen to the tranquil sounds of the countryside and ask myself again, “which country is the one that needs developing?”