Coffee and Rambling Thoughts

What a gorgeous morning! The rising sun is casting its warm glow over the lake as I sit here drinking REAL coffee, eating tropical fruit salad, and listening to the lake's water lap the shore. Kate unfortunately is sick in bed with horrible stomach cramping and a bad case of diarrhea. We had planned to return to Kigali today, but in her current condition, we may very well spend another day here in Goma. Last night I finally got all of my photos uploaded...what a relief! I've struggled to find decent a internet connection in most of the East African region, and its funny that it's here in the DR Congo, that I've not only found a decent connection, but it's free!

It's an interesting phenomenon being a tourist here, as other than Kate and me, they simply don't exist. Goma is held by the government and UN Peacekeeping forces to ensure that the rebels stay out, providing relative security for the hundreds of foreigners who work for NGO's and the UN here. The outskirts of Goma and beyond are controlled by various rebel groups. Check-points and rebel patrols make travel in the eastern part of this country incredibly difficult and dangerous, however it's good to know that the NGO's haven't pulled out. Save the Children, UNHCR, World Vision, USAID, and countless others continue to operate out of Goma as much of the region continues to be controlled by rebels who attack villages, rape women, and force children into becoming child soldiers. IN January, a peace deal was signed between the government and rebels and to date, seems to be holding. However, local papers report that some of the rebel factions are beginning to arm themselves again in preparation for more fighting. My understanding of the conflict is limited, but what I can say is that it all goes back to injustice and power.

Poverty for some breeds hopelessness and envy of the more fortunate, creating a sense of imbalance and injustice. With nothing to lose and the potential for huge gains, men all too often resort to violence to gain control and ultimately power over others, over a situation, or over a region. This phenomenon has repeated itself thousands of times throughout history and around the world, and despite our claims to learn from our mistakes, to never again let history repeat itself, the issues of injustice, of greed, and of the accumulation of power are much too complex to simply say we will never let it happen again. Genocide, civil war, ethnic cleansing, and gang violence are still very real threats and still very much a reality for millions across the globe. There is immediate or simple solution, or for that matter, even a complex international accord that will create lasting long-term results. I think we as a species, as human beings, have reached a point in our history where its only through widespread evolution of our consciousness that sustained change will come.

The gap betwe4en the have's and the have not's is widening at an alarming pace. Technology is creating exceptional advances in medicine, in communication, and in education. But all of these advances are only available to a small percentage of the world. Why is it that in the west, we've been able to successfully transplant organs and limbs, save people from cancer, and help others to live relatively healthy, normal lives with AIDS, but in Africa, 1 million children still die every year from malaria? We've eradicated malaria from the US, from many Asian countries, from Australia, why can't we eradicate it in any African country? The technology and know-how are there, but its the lack of will, the perceived importance that is lacking. Humans are greedy, but I also believe greed is a concept of the physical self. Each of us are on a path towards enlightenment, a path that takes our souls many rebirths to attain. The harshness and complexity of life seems to have made realizing and acknowledging that inner-soul much more difficult. As a species,. we have moved away from seeking to understand to desperately seeking to gain. Rather than focusing on our eternal souls, the sameness that each of us share, and choosing to love others, we have an overwhelming tendency to focus on our physical selves, our egos. By doing so, our primary focus is on the betterment of individuals, the accumulation of material things, and the attainment of power and control. We obsess with labeling ourselves as Christians, as white or black, as a Ugandan, or as a Hutu. As a runner, or a mother, as a leader or a follower. By doing so, we lose sense of who we are as eternal beings, of our true nature at the level of our souls, and out of fear of losing control, we hang on to those labels in desperation. It's these labels and the notion of right versus wrong that they carry, that we divide ourselves and can begin to justify horrible actions and thoughts. As human beings, we need to evolve away from our obsession with labeling each other into the framed reference of self-realization. We need to stop looking to the future for change, for peace, and for happiness. All of those things are already here, right now in the present. We're simply too blinded by our egos to see it, too focused on the external to make the necessary shift. As granola as it sounds, it all comes down to love. Absolute love and acceptance for yourself and for those around you, despite the physical differences we may have, or the different beliefs that we hold. Once you can love and accept yourself, all the perceived problems that you have will dissolve and disappear as the universe aligns itself with you. The power of the universe--some call it karma, others call it God, whatever it is, once you are in full alignment with it, anything is possible. That's what I think its going to take to change the world.