Far, Far Away

As the season of gratitude and adoration approaches, I have been spending time in the mid-east; very near where the chosen young woman gave birth to the Christ child. As I observed the people and places around me, I found that the last is not only near the small town of Bethlehem geographically but also in the many customs which prevailed at that time and seem to stand still in their perseverance in the culture today.

A newly constructed Mosque in Abu Dahbi...largest in the world.

Non-Muslims persona non-Grata.

The piety of the people still exists although not without a struggle in a world that is closing around them. To varying degrees, depending upon the country or the emirate in which one may be interning, men faithfully pray five times a day; alcohol, movies and dating are banned; the scriptures (Koran) are studied daily; marriages (up to three) are arranged; women are surrounded by security by fully covering their bodies and avoiding even the appearance of being in a position where a man might not control his carnal desires and thereby violate the woman; and crime is virtually non-existent. And yet they struggle with modern day temptations that did not exist prior to the world's thirst for oil and the wealth and power that it brought to them. They now have the wealth to exhibit their own form of decadence...perhaps not in drugs, alcohol or lewd immodesty but in all of the creature comforts of home, auto & whimsical travel...just because they can.

The women also are bombarded with the temptations of wealth. And yet, astonishingly, they continue to embrace their traditions. Although it can't be easy. The hotel health club posts articles to remind patrons that nudity is against the law...even in the locker rooms. And yet as I leave the club desk, there are women in full burqa's signing in to use the plush facilities.

Notice the shop promoting the seductive mid-drift gown next to the shop with the women's uniform for the faithful Muslim woman.

Killing some time while waiting for my midnight departure back to the States, I wandered through a modern shopping mall and marveled at the dichotomy. In a land where women stoically adhere to the dress code of black from pate to pinkie, there are high fashion shops that boast the latest fashions from France and New York. While many of the fashionable gowns extended to cover the feet in a flowing manner reminiscent of Guenevere, the amount of material necessary to complete the upper portion of the gown is vastly decreasing. It is no wonder that the stalwarts of Islam blame the West for the decadence that is tempting their women. After all, local fashion is only mimicking the ubiquitous satellite feeds from Hollywood made possible by 20th century technology.

An obedient Muslim woman exits a store with all of the modern day fashions..

less material--more flesh! Who is to blame?

The chasm between the wealthy and poor is on display in a much greater degree and in more confrontational venues that what I experience in my own homeland...even in the most impoverished of our inner cities. The wealth in these countries is flaunted in the cars they drive, the robes they wear, the edifices in which they live and the manner in which they so easily dismiss the servants who wait on their every need.

Wise men still seek Him today

And so, it requires very little stretch of thought to understand why the Christ child was born in humble circumstance. Had He been born into high privilege, how difficult it would have been for Him to convince his followers to sell all that they had and follow after Him. His example of giving service to those in need...brothers and sisters all, would surely have fallen on even more deaf ears.

Perhaps no better analogy could describe the Peace which Christ brought to those who would believe and be baptized by water than to equate it to the thirst that is known in the desert.

And so it is with wonder and awe to know that He who was born on a cold, clear night and upon a bed of straw would indeed fulfill the dreams, hopes and prophecies that had been held for so many years by those who will humble themselves to accept His message of peace, forgiveness and perseverance.

In a manger...

In light of the modern day battles which we all must face and fight, it is a blessing to feel the strength from family and friends as we join together in our quest to embrace and preserve that which He taught. It is our hope that all will take this Christmas season to reflect on the rich heritage that has been left to us and that we might endeavor to carry on the noble mission of our fathers in being anxiously engaged in a good cause...as He whose birth we celebrate asked us to do.

RETURN TO INDIA

My quick return trip to Bombay allowed for a more intimate cultural experience than my previous journey. After spending several consecutive 16 hours days in a board room tyring to work out a business relationship, our business partner insisted we take a break and go visit his home town of Cochin...a two hour flight to southern tip of India.

Sweta Mangal, CEO and Shaffi Mather, Chairman of the Board

My colleague and I arrived on a Saturday night and through a combination of airplanes, car taxi, and water taxi we arrived at an eco resort on a lake in what is called "Kerala Backwaters." We took lodging on a unique house boat that once served as a barge on this lake that is five times the size of Utah's Salt Lake. We were quickly ushered into an a/c dining room on board the boat and served traditional Indian Cuisine. Our individual bedrooms were very well appointed, each with their own bathroom and shower. We awoke the next morning to a rocking motion and discovered that we were on a sunrise tour of the Backwaters. There was a very high sense of eco-conservatism which speaks highly of the region. The resort consisted of individual bungalows amid a network of man made canals which supported indigenous wildlife.

Shaffi came to retrieve us on Sunday afternoon to take dinner with his family. It became apparent that spending time in the homes of our hosts was very important. We were greeted at his parents luxurious (by Indian standards) home that evening with brothers, sisters, uncles and children all lined up in a row to greet us as we entered the home. Conversation over the dinner table immediately went to the American elections. While they recognized that Obama was not a friend to global trade, they expressed enthusiasm that the American Dream was alive and well. It was a reminder to me of how people look so favorably toward the U.S. (irrespective of liberal perspective) and the ability for the individual to rise to success on their own merits without constraint of political regimes. A perspective that I silently hoped would continue.

Reluctantly returning to Bombay we continued meetings until Shaffi and I were required to attend a meeting with the government in Delhi. I had heard so many negatives on the Capitol that I was curious to compare. However, I found the city to be more modern and with better traffic flows where you aren't fighting the road obstacles such as cattle, elephants, camels and donkeys that are so often found on the streets of Bombay. This British designed city sports several large parks. One does have to be careful of the ubiquitous monkeys who roam the city streets hoping for a handout from a passing taxi, tuk-tuk or bicyclist.

On the day of my flight back to the States, I grabbed my camera and against concierge advice began a five mile trek through the city surrounding my palatial Hyatt Regency hotel. Less than a hundred yards from the hotel the scene drastically changed. Amid the harried traffic accentuated with continuous use of the obnoxious honking of horns were what we would call slums lining both sides of the street. While it would have been so easy to take photographs to bring these shocking images to the eyes of my few readers, the thought of exposing the abject poverty and destitute conditions in which they live just didn't seem appropriate. The polluted water, people sifting through piles of garbage looking for even the smallest of usable treasures, or huts that made our backyard bunk house look extravagant are a reality to 1.3 billion people. But to capture those images would have exposed their shame that they must surely feel.

Instead, I opted to capture a photo of these three young girls resolutely weaving in and out of traffic on an errand that might net the $2 per day that 80% of India survives on. The young girl on the right has the most captivating smile and it would be easy to picture her as a future model in some fashion magazine...as it is, current conditions say that she will most likely never finish the 3rd grade. But within her smile, one can see an element of hope.

HOPE FOR THOUSANDS OF INDIA'S YOUTH

The hope for hundreds of thousands of Indian youth seemed to be captured in this image that appeared on the side of this highly modern building, which overlooks the meager huts that we would refer to as slums. I can't look at this image without internalizing the message. There are incredible gaps in the social structure of this country. And yet the people talk of opportunities that are on the horizon as they emerge into a more hopeful age.

I have great hope that our pursuit of a business venture in India will create these opportunities and make a real difference in their quality of life...perhaps gaining access to modern health care will be a welcomed dream.