Crisis what crisis?

It's time for another bit of a rant I'm afraid.

Reading the online versions of newspapers it really does seem as if the developed world is falling apart. Things will get worse before they get better, economic suicides are on the rise, job losses are on the increase. Crime, especially cybercrime, is predicted to rise as legitimate means to make a living become scarcer and now (and this is the really horrific part) the world's richest people are getting poorer.

Here, in a country with no major means of earning foreign currency and with limited reliance on aid, the effects of a global downturn are more difficult to see. The variety of foodstuffs on offer is already small, the streets are already largely traffic-free and people already wear shoes and clothing until they fall apart.

And yet why is it that in a country which, on the world scene, also gets nothing but(probably deserved) bad press, the people are friendly, help each other when they can and live their lives to a high moral standard? Life grinds on at the same low level, prices go up and nobody ever gets pay rises (not since 1991 in the case of public employees) but nobody steals and most people just get on with life with a cheery disposition. Some things just defy explanation.

When we eventually leave Eritrea I, for one, will look at life in the developed world through different eyes. I'm sure that the whole thing will appear as one vast orgy of consumption even in the depressed state it will still be in in 2010. For example, I will look at the city streets packed with traffic and wonder why billions of dollars were set aside to rescue a motor industry which needs to shrink and change drastically before resources to run its products run out and before it chokes the atmosphere (yes, I'm still on the I can breathe a lot better in Asmara soapbox).

On the other hand I'll probably buy a new computer (well I still think we can solve all problems with technology) and add to the mountains of discarded electronic equipment and I'll probably put back the 7 kilos or so lost here, in one massive beer and bacon ingestion.

And then there's the question: in the unlikely event that one is available, do I really WANT another job in the banking industry? Perhaps we'll become serial volunteers (what I'd really LIKE to do is to help with a database / GIS project in a development - as in developing world - situation), hopefully it's still too early to have to make decisions / approaches but things can change.

Sorry for the unstructured ramble.

P