Development: a better life?

With the hot topic of mining in mind, my thoughts are brought back to my time in Junin. Junin was a very small community in the cloud forest, about a three hour drive from Quito into the mountains. This community actually prohibited a Canadian copper mining company from destroying their land. They were physically threatened with guns and pepper spray by paramilitaries who were paid by the Canadian company to scare the community into giving up their land to the foreign company. (This story can been seen in "Under Rich Earth") 

By visiting this town and living in Ecuador for two months, I have a new perception of development. Before this year, I didn't have a clear perception of what the country would be like. I pictured a 'third world country' where I would need to boil water to brush my teeth, and the cars would all be from the 80's and 90's. 

In reality, Ecuador has an extremely diverse range of development. The large cities such as Cuenca, the one I live in, have mostly all the things that I live comfortably with in Ohio (nice cars and houses, paved roads, wifi, cable TV, and pop culture, to name a few). Even though they have and use all of these modern commodities, they still are more conscious of energy consumption. At my house, almost every electronic device is unplugged when not in use. A simple action like this shows that this culture does not waste resources like we do in the US. 

Other regions of Ecuador make do with what they are given from nature. For example, below I have a picture of a piece of bamboo being used as a gutter for a house made from wood.

Small communities in the mountains of Ecuador live simply: growing their own food, teaching their children, and maintaining their homes. From my observations, I feel like once a community is set up, living in one is pretty easy sailing. Especially after visiting and experiencing life in Junin, I appreciate a sustainable way of life. Developing any further from the necessities is really unnecessary by definition.   I find it admirable that the people who live in these communities have a strong sense of belonging, and a life without the noise, pollution, and stress of a city. 

It is sad that many people who lead this way of life are forced to leave the land which generations of families have cared for because of development around the world. A term which we have learned in our class on Globalization applies perfectly to this thought: "Winners and Losers". The people who are being robbed of their heritage are the losers in this situation, whereas the developed nation and government of Ecuador who are making profit off of the natural resources of the land are the winners. 

Children in Junin playing with a bird they killed that day with a sling shot. (0_0)