Romping around in the jungle decked out in camo, surrounded by a natural wall of giant bamboo clusters, as a pleasant breeze dancing with the heat of the day maintains the peace in this small Karen village base camp just across the Burma border, I find myself mingling with a handful of boys and men, guns and dirt. The hours of the day pass as we box, do pullups and pushups, and dismantle and clean deadly weapons used to defend these peaceful, Christian people from the unruly Burmese government. Out here in the jungle, life is simple and beautiful, aside from the ongoing tension and violence imposed by the Burmese as they burn villages and steal innocent lives for no reason other than to claim power. Bird songs intertwine with the sounds of shuffling leaves on giant bamboo stalks as they sway in the wind to make for an exceptionally serene soundtrack. I wake up with the sun as a breakfast of fried eggs, Ma-Ma noodles, fish, and rice awaits me with a thermos of hot water and instant 3-in-1 coffee packets. Lunch and dinner are usually the same, although canned sardines or freshly killed and dried mystery meat that hung from the tree have been known to replace the fresh fish. This may not seem like a 5-star meal to you, but I'll have you know I looked forward to these meals everyday. The random mini bananas, pomelo, and fresh sugar cane personally prepared with a machete also add to the excitement.
One would assume the Karen language is similar to that of the Thais, but this would be a false assumption. Even the lifestyle and culture is very different, often times almost opposite. Unlike the Buddhist Thai people, the Karen religion is generally Christian. Not dissimilar from Thais, however, they are extremely resourceful and ingenuitive when it comes to creating something out of nothing. The technology in the jungle may not be as sophisticated as that of the Western world, but the level of happiness and the number of smiles proves the unnecessity of such technology. This is not to say these villagers aren't intrigued and even fascinated by iPhones and notebook computers, but what they don't know definitely doesn't hurt them in that regard.
We have created a monster in the West, where the days can't provide us with enough hours and because of this we are constantly burdened with the pressures of time constraints and having to always have or want the latest advancements and upgrades in technology.
Our walls become thicker, cities more concrete, and our hearts colder and more difficult to share with others. I think this is one reason, among several, why our relationships seem so disposable. We are beginning to live disposable lives, and it's extremely humbling to witness this first-hand, living in a world that seems so natural and purely human. A couple men here in the camp walk around with one bamboo leg after stepping on landmines near their villages, and some are unschooled refugees who miraculously speak 3 languages, are strong as an ox, and house souls so beautiful you can't help but stare in awe.
I believe in technological advancement and constantly bettering ourselves and our lives; however, when it turns into a completely different world that is foreign to our roots, when we forget the way nature smells, when we contract ailments simply because our immune systems have been babied our entire lives, when we become incapable of communicating with people who are different from us and instead expect them to speak our language without us trying to learn from them, I think we are failing to appreciate life for what it is and how it's been given to us. I loved my time in the jungle with these people. As I make my way back to Bangkok to collect the rest of my belongings and then to venture on down to the islands, I plan to keep these memories in the forefront of my mind and hopefully come back to spend with them some more time.
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