Tumbling From The Cave

Tumbling, sharing and learning what is smart in aid and development.

About

I studied American government and English as an undergraduate and worked in campaigns and political offices as an undergraduate.  By graduation, I realized that I wanted to continue in the field of politics, but felt that education might be an effective way to reach people and teach them about how government works and so on.  I felt that I could work with under-served populations as a way to address the issue of poverty and education. 

However, this intent was shifted as I participated in a 2 week immersion program in Mexico a week after graduation.  The design of the program was to provide an understanding of poverty with a first-hand experience that did not focus on building things or providing services, but learning and understanding.  My focus on poverty alleviation was shifted by the experience and I carried it with me as I taught in New Haven. 

I found that I was more focused and increasingly interested in global issues.  The proverbial itch grew and I felt compelled to look for a long term experience which would allow for me the opportunity to serve abroad.  Peace Corps was of high interest, but I was unsure if I would be able to commit to the full two years.  Fortunately, I found a program which allowed me to work as the assistant to the executive director at a clinic for disabled children.  There I was tasked with a range of duties that extended from the daily and overall accounting of the program to building a bridge and a stationary bike. 

I started this blog to record the year I spent in Kenya (2009).  While most of my time was spent sharing my daily thoughts and experiences, I often wrote about various issues such as development, aid and healthcare reform.  

I have decided to continue this as a way to educate both myself and others when it comes to good and responsible aid.  I might throw in a few things that are not entirely related, but I get to do that because I can.

Why ‘A View from the Cave’?
There are two things that I have read that continue to occupy my thoughts and random moments.  The first is the section in Milton’s Paradise Lost when Adam goes to sleep and has a dream that he is flying over Eden with God and comes to realize that he was not sleeping but awake (Keats sums this up saying, “The imagination may be compared to Adam’s dream, - he awoke and found it truth”).  The second is the  allegory of the cave from Plato’s Republic.  That takes a bit more to explain, but it is what I decided upon as the inspiration for the title of my blog.

I think this allegory can be relevant to the way that many people live today.   It seems that when one spends his or her life amongst the same things and ideas without ever striving to challenge the existing frameworks, then that person is really not different than the people in Plato’s cave.  In other words, how can man have an understanding of the world around himself when he has only ever looked at the shadows on the wall?  It is my hope and goal that this blog will offer a view of the world away from the metaphoric cave.