Geez, I came across an old, old file that should (not?) have posted long ago. Abouy…
02 July 2005
I don’t know if I’ll ever get this posted, never mind all the earlier ones that are lurking somewhere on this computer. I’ve been on a “vacation” to Madagascar, and things have gone incredibly well. Primarily, I am speaking of the travel. Air Madagascar, the perennial nemesis of the traveler, has given us spots on flights, people in Antalaha, Maroantsetra and Tana have gone way out of their respective ways to help us out. I am hoping that his is payback for some good things I might have unwittingly done during my five years here, and not the proverbial luck that comes and goes.
I try to repay favors and others’ kindness with random acts of kindness, but I never know if I am credited. There was a Kevin Spacey movie, called something like “Pay It Forward,” in which one built up good fortune by not asking anything in return for kind acts. Not a great flick, but the idea may have merit. It touches on religion, do-unto-others,
The other day in Antalaha, we were with the priest who performed our marriage ceremony. As we walked through his church, which was under renovation, I told him about how I left the Catholic church when I was 17, and how in spite of my belief in God, I saw little value in organized religion. My wife later asked me how I could say such a thing to a priest, and I told her that this particular priest and I talk like friends who understand each other. He seems to understand that I have no interest in being “devout,” yet I dedicate my efforts to helping people in need through my work.
Saturday, March 25, 2006
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