Module two completed!

That is us two thirds of the way through School of Peace. We have spent the past month looking at the conflict, violence and development with a focus on the Violence of development. Who thought development could be so violent? I certainly didn’t until we started looking deeper. We have spent time looking at global economics, something I have never looked at before. It was a heavy couple of days with a lot of information to get through. For someone who doesn’t “do” numbers, it wasn’t an easy couple of sessions. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are controlled by America and Europe, they loan money on the basis of getting it back and with programmes that control other countries. These programmes normally benefit the big companies and rich people while the poor continue to suffer or their suffering gets worse. This cycle of loaning and borrowing money in order for development to happen is violent. The violence is controlled by the west and the root causes often unseen. The purpose is to make as much money as possible while not protecting the people. The World Trade Organisation is another form of violence that is based on the principles of making as much money as fast as you can; forget the people and the earth! Again, generally controlled by the countries with the most money is violent against the workers and the planet. When looking at free trade compared to fair trade we can see that free isn’t always fair but is fair trade power? Does it mean justice? the Irony of Aid, this is one topic that I found very interesting. The UK pledges a large amount of money to international aid each year, is this for selfish reasons? Will we benefit the most from this? Does aid really address the issues the people are facing or is it all put into “developing” that country? Will “development” of these countries feed the hungry? Give shelter to the homeless? The aid given, 80% goes back to the debt they owe the countries that have given the money, why give it in the first place? Is it only to look good to people? There are a lot of charities in England that raise LARGE sums of money each year for aid in “developing or third world countries”, the aid they offer is welfare. Are they looking at the root causes of the poverty these people are experiencing? Do we EVER listen to their stories?

We spent some time looking at different types of poverties, poverty that is created in order for the consumerist state to survive. Poverty is not just lacking in material or financical wealth but when looking at Manfred Maxneef’s Wheel of Fundamental Human Needs (if interested in more info, google it!) we can see that there are many types of poverty; the countries that have power in these institutions have sacrificed something. The countries that are materially poor have something much more valuable, an abundance of affection, understanding, creation and identity to name only a few. Those countries that have managed to secure financial power cannot even boast that ever citizen in their country has access to the basic needs; not everyone in England has shelter, food and water. What does this say about financial wealth? Is it really the development that we want? Is money created as a form of oppression? Oppression of people and of other countries? Are you still economically poor if you have no money but are able to feel rich in all areas of the Wheel of Fundamental Human Needs? I live in a developed country. Like India, the gap between the rich and poor is huge it is just hidden well. Our government provides housing for most so the homeless and slums are not as visible. There are benefit systems that enable people to “get by” with the basic amenities. This does not mean that all have all their needs met. There are downsides to living in a developed country. You either fit in or you don’t. You sacrifice some of the fundamental human needs in order to get by or to move up. Many people go without affection and some do not have a strong sense of personal identity, it is all superficial. I know this because I work with a group of young people that experience many of the hardships that our country faces. The material and spiritual poverty caused by the consumerist state? Can I go back to this work and change it for them?

With the focus of this module looking at the Violence of Development, I have been forced to look at the violence the British Empire left behind. Being British is a big part of who I am and where I come from, to know how much violence and damage my history has done is not an easy thing. Take the gold mines, (we visited an area called KFG, an area that has been used and abused for its natural resources) Sompath (our tour guide that day and a incredible man) quite rightly pointed out to me, that this could in all likelihood be my history as well as the locals. With my family background coming from the military, it is quite likely that they were involved somewhere in the Empire. To know that there is a potential for my family to have caused this much exploitation, dependency and division amongst people is not a comfortable feeling. To have to face this reality as an adult, when this part of my identity is well established is difficult, to challenge it has not been an easy journey and hearing the stories, I don’t think will ever be easy but it is something that needs to be done in order for me to truly understand the pain of the story from the other side of the coin. A lot questions came up while in the mining area and listening to the stories; did the British start the violence of development in this area? Would it have been avoidable had the mining never been allowed? Does the conversion of faith come hand in hand with the violence of development? Did the British develop the area or just exploit it? Who was the development actually for?

This is only a snippet of what we have covered and this module has raised many questions for me; the journey about discovering myself is still ongoing. Is my identity set in stone? Can it change? This journey has not only been about changing, changing my thoughts about life, work and attitude but also a journey of healing. I’m not quite sure how to explain this but I think I have started to learn about how to have a relationship with myself before I can have a relationship with others. I think I am more myself here than I have ever been; I am starting to find me. This journey is only just beginning.