Like a Scene From a Movie

I saw the movie “Eat, Pray, Love” today. The opening scene for the second of three self-revealing journeys captured by Elizabeth Gilbert (played by Julia Roberts) brought back a huge rush of emotion and memories from our time in Ethiopia.

Liz was jolted from the relaxed loll of four months in Italy and dropped into the middle of chaos and bedlam in India. The first several minutes of her adventure were reminiscent of how I felt as we navigated the roads in Ethiopia. The movie scenes dart between her experience in the back seat of a taxi and the streets as she watches the confusion and pandemonium. She encounters farm animals loitering in the middle of the road, a child playing in trash, overloaded vehicles, hectic traffic, children grasping through the taxi window seeking charity. Then the cab comes to an abrupt stop in front of the ashram.

My perspective should not be interpreted as a condescending note on life in Ethiopia, rather an appreciation (dare I say longing???) for the disparity. The following quote captures the value in recognizing the beauty in both. It’s important to note that Henry B. Adams was a U.S. historian and that “order” could be attributed to “the dream of (the American) man.”

“Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man.” Henry Brooks Adams (1838–1918)

Every day I am more grateful for the experience that The Davis Moon Project offered me. Thanks to all that made it possible.

Posted by at 6:32 PM