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I'll play.
I'll address on two different levels though, and on a much more narrow focus.
1 Why can't Africa get it together and become something other than a mess? The place has a huge amount of natural advantages. Everything from tourism to natural resources. It really has all the advantages to be a peaceful prosperous place for people. How is it failing?
2 Does a substance farmer with 4 kids, scrapping by in some 3rd work, is he living the good life and thrilled, or is he in a most stressed position than me?
My thoughts. Africa is a mess due to tribalism, and population pressure. I think they don't have the ability to get away from the Crab in the bucket syndrom to make Africa work on a globally successful scale.
I think there is two ways to look at the substance farmer. There is a certain kind of freedom knowing you are screwed. At that point, all is lost, you might as well make the best of it.
on the other hand, I think its demeaning to said farmer to pretend he isn't terrified of the problems he could face with so little change, and he has no control over that. one bad drought, and he is watching his children die of hunger. A cold, or infection, those aren't just run of the mill things, but actual life threatening events.
You can of course say I'm not immune here in my life. My company loses my contract, I'm unemployed. Katrina showed we are not immune in this country from some really crappy things happening to us. But none of the people who died in Katrina died to starvation, and a few did die, but it was mostly due to sudden lose of medical care, and the related issues.
I feel I'm overall safer, and better protected from a majority of the issues that can cause me, and the people I know here so much problems, than that hypothetical substance farmer. And I think that makes me happier than he is.
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