"The unexamined life is not worth living." ~ Socrates

My last post left you with tales of toiletry and cultural conundrums, evidence of my stumblings and bumblings in a strange new land. I am happy to report that this strange land is becoming less foreign and more....dare I say..."home." I think that for me, I would call home a place that I can be myself and people accept me. The comfort level is steadily rising to a degree where I feel I can be myself. Obviously there are limitations: "myself" communicates in English and not Sinhala; "myself" would still have dreadlocks (but that is a more complicated issue than me wanting to be myself); "myself" would probably itch and scratch places that I would not dare of itching and scratching here, but that probably has more to do with becoming TOO comfortable at home than it has to do with being myself. These things aside, I can be myself. This "home-coming" became evident to me one night as I drove in a van with three other Sri Lankans, only one of whom has a convervastional grasp of the English language. I can't recall the context, but somehow I had got the entire van into uproarious laughter, and it wasn't because they were snickering at my attempts at Sinhala pronunciation!  I guess laughter is a universal language - it makes me feel at home.
Being more comfortable has afforded me the opportunity to engage in one of my other favorite activities: thinking. A peculiar pastime for sure, but one that is difficult to ignore when every moment, every fiber of my life is being grated against the fabric of a culture whose construct chafes against my North-American nurtured skin in every way possible. Living in a developing country does not make me resent my North American whiteness and wealth; I am not sorry that I am a white man - but it does make me ask a lot of questions about life and justice and morality and spirituality. Some things I am thinking: (these are rhetorical and have by no means come to any concrete conclusions in my mind, but I would love to hear your comments on these things)
-Is a desire to be challenged and have my mind expanded a worthwhile reason to spend a whole bunch of money to fly to a third world country with money that I am sure could have fed hundreds of starving children?
-Are tithes and donations to "feed the poor, heal the sick" of any worth if the giver remains unchallenged by the very reason that poverty and sickness exist?
-Is traveling, in an effort to be challenged, a worthy investment of God-given resources?
-How do we ensure that our lives remain/or become "others-focused" while living in cultures that are so comfortable and play towards our selfish nature?
-Do we need to fly half-way across the world in order to keep our minds and worldviews from becoming stagnant and unchallenged?
-What is the balance between enjoying/exploring all that Creation has to offer (a seemingly selfish endeavor) and helping others (selflessness)?  Do they exist at opposite ends of the spectrum or can they find common ground in some sort of union?

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These are the things I end up thinking about every time I pull out my fat wallet to purchase something for mere pennies from street vendors.  I don't necessarily feel guilty, I just think.  Maybe that is a problem too. 
I don't know the answers and I doubt you do either, but that does not mean it is fruitless to engage these questions.  Please comment, or write me an email, or just let this stew in your minds for a few days and let me know what delicious brew forms.  My own mind has been marinating since I got off the plane.

Happy digesting.