Ancient Futures - Learning from Ladakh

Ancient Futures - Learning from Ladakh

In this video documentary, Helena Norberg-Hodge, the documentary author, expresses that the influence of the modern western world transforms communities such as Ladakh from self-reliance to industrial modernization age. Norberg-Hodge goes on by saying that in the modern era; the western culture has heavily influence the culture heritage of the people of Ladakh and has bring forth the industrial modernization of the village. Is development salvageable?

This documentary could not enter my mind without reminiscing of life 32 years ago. In 1979, when San Pedro was a quaint little fishing village that no one cared to visit, there was peace and a sense of culture heritage. I can remember that there were many items that drifted up the beach that were collected to be used in some way or the other. This included bottles, Styrofoam pieces, glass bottles, plastic balls, lumber, bamboo, plastic buckets and even plastic sandals. There were times when a villager would need a four or five inch nail and there was none at the store, so he would pick up a piece of lumber on the beach with used nails, and he would remove them, straighten them and reused them on the job. Ropes were never allowed to remain on the beach; they were gathered and reused on boats and dories. If a man needed a very strong rope, he might find one of those glass buoys covered with rope and he would carefully untangle the rope, throw away the glass buoy, and kept the rope. A discarded milk box, a sturdy one, made a valise for a fisherman going on a trip. Pig tail buckets became water cans. An empty paint bucket became the pail used at the well. A shirt was passed from older brother to younger brother.

What is the difference now? Thirty two years ago the villagers all knew one another and cared for one another. Today, just in comparison with Ladakh, my home town has grown tremendously and very few people care for