I met a good number of well-meaning Westerners in Uganda who were trying to be global citizens. That is, many of the Westerners wanted to “save Africa” or “fix” some problem. For many people this means encouraging Western style development in Uganda. However, I have found the truth to be that if we want to be good neighbors to the developing world, we should begin by looking for positive changes that we can make in our own lives here at home.
I struggle with the fact that in one of the world’s most developed nations, happiness and satisfaction with life seem to be declining. In many ways, it is over-development that has led to our unhappiness as people feel increasingly disconnected from their communities and overwhelmed by faceless systems and institutions. I love my clean water, interstate highways, fast internet, and other amenities available here in the U.S., but where is the tipping point when it becomes too much development, technology, and growth? How big is too big? I will not attempt to answer that complex question here, but my experience in Uganda has given me a few ideas for ways that the United States can dial back its own development, and hopefully increase quality of life for everyone here and there. To sum up the idea of gradually swinging the pendulum back from our current state of over-development, I have decided to coin the term “Revelopment” from the Latin meaning “to wrap back”. You won’t find it in the dictionary, but revelopment is basically the process by which an overdeveloped country can gradually “wrap back” and reach a consensus that more does not equal better.
So here is a list of a few of my Millennium Revelopment Goals for the United States as a country, Americans as people, and myself as an individual:
1. Produce and consume real food. This means a return to eating stuff that was grown in dirt and harvested near where we live. Eating real food not only lets us live healthier lives, but is also a surefire way to engage your local community.
2. Don’t waste. We may like to think that our consumer society fuels the developing world’s economy, but the truth is that less developed countries will never get the elbow-room they need to succeed if we don’t commit to consuming and wasting less.
3. Slow down and fill life with meaningful activity, not just activity. Most people don’t realize that the word career comes from a French word literally meaning racecourse. We need to abandon the rat race in favor of pursuing our true vocation in life.
Aaron Owen is a senior in the College of Health Sciences pursuing a passion for global health.
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