Reflecting on Others Blogs

Reflecting on Others Blogs
I just finished reading Jen's quote on her blog and it really spoke to me. You can view it at: http://ternojen.blogspot.com/ (It's entitled: quote of the day, v. II. )

As I wrote on Jen's blog, I think this quote embodies what each of us hopes to get out of our Beyond Border's experience. We want to grow as people and become more at peace with ourselves. Our experience with BB will hopefully help us achieve these goals.

Moreover, it reminded me of a conversation I had with Maryam and Ruby where we discussed the role of governments. Specifically, we decided that perhaps change needed to start with the local people/communities. Going back to the quote, ‘knowledge and understanding are key elements to peace.’, governments don't create peace, PEOPLE do. With that said, I must remember Scott's words of wisdom, "you would be arrogant to think that you can change the world". Maybe I won't be able to do anything, but I will hopefully be able to converse with locals and NGOs in order to understand their situation in BiH and find out if they are satisfied with the status quo.

Matt’s blog (Lessons from Worth A Second Look) reminded me of a recent visit to Zio's Italian Restaurant, where I used to bartend. As Matt mentioned in his blog, many companies are only worried about "the bottom line". Even some companies that "helping third world countries" are only there to make money. However, every now and then we come across hidden gems, like WASL and Zio's who provided something more important than a commodity; they provided a welcoming atmosphere. My regular customers always reminded me that people don't go to the bar to drink, they go to socialize. It's nice to see that some places are in it for more than just a profit.

Another customer brought up a good point about the economy, which related to Matt’s blog. He said that the recession will be a good way to equalize citizens and make them humble. People will have to watch what they purchase. One can only hope that it will be a permanent or semi-permanent change. At the end of "The Plague", the doctor observed as most of the people within his community conformed back to their old ways. One can only guess whether we too will conform back or be permanently changed by our BB journey. On a larger scale, perhaps this recession will make today's population re-evaluate their priorities. On the other hand, many it won't.

One thing is for sure, a lot of people around me do not seem to be changing their spending habits. People who have always saved are continuing to do so. A lot of people who are used to spending frivolously don’t seem to be resisting their urges. It will be interesting to see how this recession will eventually affect the everyday consumers. I am interested to hear Scott Kline’s insight on today’s economy.