Worlds

I'm curious about the concept of worlds. Everyone seems to think their world is the end all be all. I guess that's normal, but I think people have trouble imaging other people live in different worlds than they do. Obviously we all share the Earth and most of us live under a shared capitalistic system, but even though we are far more interconnected than ever before, we still have trouble seeing our lives through the worlds of others. It's undoubtedly a problem with tribalism and human empathy, but that can only explain so much. Or maybe it explains it all.

On second thought I do think it comes down to tribalism and empathy. I know plenty of folks back home that have developed such a hard and tough exterior as a coping mechanism of surviving in their world while living less than a mile away from others who go through life as airy as can be. Even though they are countrymen and share so much, they're worlds as so different. Their realities so different. I wonder do they truly think about each other? Personally I never noticed their lives being different from each other but I guess I've always had to balance multiple worlds while trying to keep my sanity balanced. One thing I've realized on my travels is that you can't ignore other's realities for too long, they'll always show up, one way or another. I think those of us with middle income have it the worst with worlds colliding without consent, but those lower on the totem pole must deal with the repercussions far greater.

When I was in Zanzibar, I managed to speak to a Maasai herdsman that was on the island for business. I didn't ask what the business was because to be frank, I didn't care. He saw me sitting on a concrete ledge and decided to speak to me. He initially thought I was British or French, as people in Africa tend to, but was even more interested to hear that I'm American. We spoke about trivial things, how I liked Tanzania, how I liked Zanzibar, but also the differences between our lives as an African American and his life as a Maasai. Like many folks on this lovely planet, he spends a good amount of his time ingesting American culture and he loves seeing Black folks on television. My world, or rather, what he thinks is my world has been a part of his life for years, but I'm just now meeting his. I asked him about his life and what he thinks of changes he's noticed to his life. He knows some people think the Maasai are backwards. He knows some people think he's poor. He knows that the world outside the Maasai is changing, but he's happy so why over think it?

I agreed with him at first. What if the world he lives in IS happier than my own? What if his brain releases just as much serotonin and dopamine watching a new calf walk for the first time as when I watch a new movie? What if his community is happier and freer from violence than mine is? Even through all my travels and relative wealth and access, what if his world is more complete than my own? It probably is in a lot of respects. The only issue I could find with how he lives is that he doesn't live in a vacuum and his pastoral life must interact with worlds outside of his own. Who's to say the governments of Kenya and Tanzania won't close the borders and ruin his community's grazing lands? Who's to say politicians won't sell access to his cows from underneath him? He was so caught up in his world that he didn't look at how others' worlds may disrupt his own. (Or he did and he just wanted to impress the first American he'd met).

I think, in my own personal utopia, people would be able to live as freely and completely as they choose, but that's true for most people I hope. I just want this world to be happy.