"The first virtue they possess is courage, the willingness to go off to a strange place. The second virtue they develop is deference, the willingness to listen and learn from the moral and intellectual storehouses of the people you are trying to help. The greatest and most essential virtue is thanklessness, the ability to keep serving even when there are no evident rewards — no fame, no admiration, no gratitude. This final virtue is what makes service in the developing world not just an adventure, a spiritual experience or a cinematic moment. It represents a noncontingent commitment to a specific place and purpose."
Three years ago, I stepped foot on the African continent for the first time, full of a sense of adventure and anticipation of all the new people I would meet, exciting places I would explore, and meaningful things I would do. For me, I think the courage to live abroad has been the easy part. I am also grateful for the opportunities I have had to listen to and learn from the dozens of small-scale farmers whom I've met while conducting research on ICT for agriculture and designing and implementing products and services for the Base of the Pyramid. And I mean it when I say that I don't feel the need for recognition for the work that I do because I truly feel fulfilled merely by a sense of purpose.
However, I would add that another essential virtue is patience. Patience when people can't understand what you're saying, whether you're speaking in English or even the local language. Patience when you're working with people who received educations based on rote memorization, not critical thinking and problem solving. Patience when projects take 5 times longer to implement than expected.
Gandhi said that "we must be the change we wish to see in this world." Well, change takes time.
No comments:
Post a Comment