"A Glaring Inconsistency"

Here's an excerpt to ponder from a good book called Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values by Robert M. Pirsig:

I wonder. There's kind of a glaring inconsistency here, that's almost too obvious to dwell on. If they can't stand physical discomfort and they can't stand technology, they've got a little compromising to do. They depend on technology and condemn it at the same time. I am sure they know that and that just contributes to their dislike of the whole situation. They're not presenting a logical thesis, they're just reporting how it is. But three farmers are coming into town now, rounding the corner in that brand-new pickup truck. I'll bet with them it's just the other way around. They're going to show off that truck and their tractor and that new washing machine and they'll have the tools to fix them if they go wrong, and know how to use the tools. They value technology. And they're the ones who need it the least. If all technology stopped tomorrow these people would know how to make out. It would be rough, but they'd survive. John and Sylvia and Chris and I would be dead in a week. This condemnation of technology is ingratitude, that's what it is.

Blind alley, though. If someone's ungrateful and you tell him he's ungrateful, okay, you've called him a name. You haven't solved anything.

When I read that a few bells went off in my head because there's definitely some parallels there in regards to working with technology in Africa. I'm definitely not saying everyone here is a mechanic or technician, but most people here are incredibly willing to learn all these new things being introduced to them. They're accepting all this new technology with open arms and embracing it. Elderly people and uneducated people who have never even had electricity or seen a computer have come up to me and begged me to learn about computers. I think the attitude is quite a bit different for most of America where technology is often viewed as a necessary evil, or an inconvenience that is required to learn. I could definitely argue that it is an inhuman, isolating, necessary evil, but I just wanted to make a point. If these people lost all modern technology, they would manage just fine, but I shudder to think what would happen in the States.

Speaking of willingness to embrace technology, surprisingly I've been given the go-ahead to design a database to do away with most paper records here at the school, as well as network most of the school together. There's probably only 1 or 2 other high schools in the country at the most that has a system as advanced. It's even a decent sized database with around 20 tables. It's coming along well and the accountants, administrators, and teachers are showing a good amount of enthusiasm. I just hope everything will still run smoothly after I leave. I have 2 computer-literate counterparts that I'll be doing plenty of training with, but sometimes I still have my doubts.