I saw first-hand some of the real problems in these areas. I return to Buenos Aires simultaneously both jaded and buoyed by what I have seen. I have realised how INCREDIBLY lucky I am to have what I have in my life: a loving family around the world, an exceptional education, citizenship of a privileged country and the opportunity to do ANYTHING I want to do. I have everything whilst many of these people who live in rural Argentina have NOTHING. I now recognise the privilege I have been granted to live this life, and also my responsibility to give back to others.
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
-Henry David Thoreau
So many people live lives of sullen resignation in the UK, working a job they hate, losing sleep about whether they will afford the next downpayment for their shiny Merc or whether they might have to quit their expensive local golf club membership to pay it. WAKE UP FUCKERS! There are millions of people out there to whom one month of your car payments would equal five years of living. Get your head out of your arse, stop feeling sorry for yourself and start realising how goddamn lucky you are to have what you have. How about you all stop frittering this privilege on cars and self-pity and fucking do something incredible with your life? Are you living a life of quiet desperation? I mean really? Take a long hard look at what you are doing and if it is working in your life. Did you succeed in achieving any of your dreams? How about you quit your job that you never liked anyway, start your own company doing what you love and give 10% of profits to support educational iniatives in developing countries? Now THAT'S doing something awesome with your life. [insert ten billion excuses here, oh my mortage, my family, the risk, I wouldn't know how, I'm not smart enough, whatever]. The truth is, if you decide to do it, you simply will find a way. If you divert your (very substantial and powerful) Human Creativity towards actually achieving what you want instead of inventing excuses for why you don't have it, you'll find that you are pretty much unlimited in what you can do when you truly decide to commit to something.
Besides, you cannot fail if you live in the UK, you are always going to eat, you are always going to have a house. The real reason you don't do it is because you are scared. How about you live a little? Take some risks? Make your life a little more exciting and perhaps even help some other people instead of wrapping yourself up in your own secure little comfortable world.
People at home, this is a rant aimed directly at you. Pull your head out of your phone, facebook, video games and your perceived problems. You are living in a fantasy world, complaining every day about a lack of jobs or lack of help from the government or whatever, always coming up with an excuse instead of working hard and fixing the problem. You already have EVERYTHING and yet most people live their entire lives and never stop to think how lucky they are for what they have, and take a moment just to be grateful, instead they gripe and complain about the smallest things. Perhaps we might all live much richer and more fulfilling lives if we would go and see what REAL problems are, and learn to be truly grateful for what we already have.
Many apologies for getting up on my high horse but I feel I have needed to say that for the last two weeks. I do not intend to just say these things and feel better, I intend to take what I have learned over the last few weeks and apply it to my own life in order that I might make some small impact on the problems I have seen.
I'm currently staying in Buenos Aires again, in the flat of a lovely girl called Luciana who kindly agreed to host me for a few days. I am going to wander out to get breakfast now. In the next post will be some photos and a written up copy of my Journal that I kept every day whilst on my trip.
¡Hasta luego!
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