Poverty.

When people arrive at one of the poorest countries in the world, they try to prepare for it somehow. They imagine hundreds of beggars in the streets, hungry children with large stomachs, who make a desperate attempt to reverse the unfortunate destiny by reaching out hands to newcomers from the West. People start even to consider the moral aspect of their decision on travelling to this particular corner of the world, where the enormity of hopelessness seems to have no end. 

 

That is why it comes as a great surprise to them, when they go out to the street in Yagon. The reason is both surprising and simple: natives instead of begging, smile at newcomers so widely that tourists start to be afraid if these people won’t lose the tips of their heads. No one can stop on a street because someone wants immediately to show them the way or tell something about the area. If something happens to newcomers, for example, a pedal at a borrowed bike loosen, natives do not hesitate even for a while: they take a hammer and fix screws in an appropriate place. It wouldn’t be surprised at all, but they don’t want a broken cent for this service. Moreover, they seem to be even offended, when they are offered money. I managed to pay only for the second time, when a screw had to be replaced. At his time, an extremely nice man who had a stall in the street and was occupied with repairing any kinds of equipment went to the shop nearby, bought the appropriate part, and installed it in my bike. With a hammer, of course. The payment, it is obvious, included only the price of the screw. Anything else was free because it is only helping a brother. Something what everyone would do for another without a moment of hesitation, right?

Ok, the lack of money is transparent at every step, but not in people. And I don’t mean only their behaviour. I think that every time I will get into a crowded bus in Cottbus, I will miss the Burmese sense of hygiene. Moreover, it isn’t a coincidence that one of the Buddhist monasteries in the neighbourhood of Mandalay has among its most important principles “I will be pure”.

It should be also remembered that almost every young Burmese who is a Buddhist, is a monk for some time. There is still an answer to be found out to the question, to what extent this time influences their further way of living. From the Western point of view, it would be perceived rather as waste of time, similarly to the obligatory military service. However, this may be a wrong assessment. We, as the society, are focused almost exclusively on “doing a career” and this means for us rejecting any activities which don’t help us to achieve the goal. The spiritual, moral development isn’t necessary anymore – it is an obstacle. It can be said that such attitude gives us a better position in the world, that in this way we are more competitive. Yet the question is, whether the price we have to pay for it isn’t too high.

But I digress, so it’s time to come back to the main topic. When we got off the car in the aforementioned monastery, the driver told us that in half an hour monks would be going to the breakfast, forming a kind of procession. What he didn’t tell us, you can admire in the photos. However, there were also many tourists pushing each other, screaming, and crossing one another’s (and monks’) way.

We were also the part of this performance in the same way as we are the part of the Western civilization. Despite some negative feelings, I would say that even despite embarrassment, we stayed on our spots. The willingness to see something, to take photos, to gain one thing we could boast about, which would make us better in others’ eyes, was too strong. We were brought up in this way, we live in such world. I really doubt, if there was even one newcomer who wanted something different, who wanted to develop the spirit instead of matter.

This monastery wasn’t rich taking into consideration a specific, materialistic point of view. Common showers placed somewhere outside, modest rooms, a small library, a temple, and a dining room. As far as I am concerned, monks have 3 different robes, shoes, and a few toiletries. By contrast, a group of people equipped with, at least, the newest tablets, or cameras worth a few, or even several annual salaries of the Burmese stood next to them. Apart from one Chinese pair who had with themselves and on themselves natives’ life salaries. 

The poor and the rich, the small and the great of this world, stood opposite.

But who can guess, who is who?

text: Kornel

photos: Ewa/Kornel

translation:  Paula Suchorska