Thoughts on Development and Happiness

The other night, at the Coconut Grove Beach Resort, I was sitting with my friends in the sand right at the spot on the beach where the water would hit our bodies and recede, hit our bodies and recede, and so on. The moon was full, the water wasn't hot or cold, the salt was cleansing to the skin. The sky was so huge, as it always is in Africa, and the moment was just... well, perfect. Megan turned to me and asked me, "I wonder if this is what life is really all about." Then I told her something my brother Mark told me, truly one of the most profound things anyone has ever told me. He said (and I said to her), "What you think is the most important thing in the entire world." Therefore, if you think life is about sitting on the shore and letting the waves hit you on a perfect night, then that's what life is about. If you think you're happy, you're happy. If you think the world's an unfriendly place, then that's what it is.

So now we turn to development, a word that everyone seems to know. But what is development? Is it development towards a longer, safer life? Is it development for more air conditioning and water from the faucet? Is it development for more roadways, enabling us to get virtually anywhere on the planet with a vehicle? Those sorts of things seem to be the popular definition of development. But What about happiness, kindness, a fulfilling life? Are these things worth developing? Or did we just assume somewhere along the line that a life with modern medicines, air conditioning, and asphault equals a happy life?

You may be getting tired of the questions, but I have one more, which I asked Megan. "Do you think an American is any happier than a Ghanain?" In America, we have all the fruits of "development," so many that we use most of them in excess, throw away what we can't use, and then still want more. In Ghana, and throughout most of Africa, most people don't have electricity, plumbing, or a decent paycheck. Many people can't afford a night out on the town or a fantastic dress made by a foreign designer or even a cheap beer. In many places, Western medical facilities are not to be found. When we Westerners hear about this, we think, "How sad! Those poor Africans are just so completely lost. They have so little. It's a wonder they don't all die." Must we forget that only a few centuries ago, the entire world was this way? And didn't humanity thrive for millions of years this way?

When I walk around the streets of Accra, an abundance of smiling souls come out onto the streets to all be united as people. No one stays indoors because it's hot and stuffy and there's no air conditioning, and for God's sake, we're on the equator. People live their lives on the streets, having constant social interaction. In America, if I make eye contact with a random person, it's an awkward and almost frightening moment. Our eyes lock for a few seconds and we both can't stand the thought that we've somehow exposed our souls to a stranger. But here, in Ghana, I look someone in the eye, they look back at me and smile. I'm almost guaranteed to get an "Ete sen?" (How are you?), to which I will reply, "Me ho ye, na won su e?" (I'm fine, and how are you?). "Eye," (fine) they will reply with a huge smile, possibly even a big belly laugh. They are so happy that we've shared this moment, so happy that I know a few words in their local language, so happy to be alive. So happy to be alive. I don't want to say that Americans are unhappy people, but this sort of genuine kinds and gratification from contact with others just does not exist there.

So back to the questions I was asking. I suppose I came here with some intention of helping to "develop" Africa, as if such a huge task could be left to me and all those other Westerners who have at some point felt sympathy for people with no air conditioning. I felt sorry for Africa. I didn't know why the world had destroyed it so. But as I walk these streets and see these smiling people who truly understand that we are all one and the same and who understand that "what you think is the most important thing in tne entire world," I think of how developed the humanity is here in Ghana. I say Ghana and not Africa because, as we all know, Africa has its problems, and I'm not suggesting that we should all give up attempts to develop the continent in one way or another. I am suggesting, though, that we consider what it is we want to develop, not only in Africa, but everywhere. And I also want us to consider what we think (for it is the most important thing), in particular about what it is that makes ourselves and others happy, and maybe we'll discover things about the ways we live our lives, things that maybe aren't so important, things that are missing, things that we could put more effort into. Looking back on my life, I think of all the people I could have smiled at but didn't, all the people whose days I could've brightened up, but didn't. I'm not proposing we all devote our lives to making sure we smile and greet people, but... well, I think you get what I'm saying.