Hopes and dreams

Sunset from a taxi

In my class the other day we were on the topic of describing your hopes and dreams. Each student was supposed to come up with a couple of hopes for how their island would be different 20 years from now. The first student's answer really caught my attention:

"My hope is for my island to have a good economic situation in 20 years. By that I mean that everyone will be paid at the end of every month."

Yeah, let that sink in for a moment. As Americans, we often think about "the economy", but how often do we wonder whether this is the month we'll get paid?

Can you imagine going to work every day for months on end, without getting a paycheck? Yet many islanders do. Some, however, get tired of it.

Sunrise from my roof

Recently the teachers in a couple of towns told their students that they weren't going to teach that day. If the students wanted to be taught, they needed to go on a parade and demonstrate, demanding their teachers be paid their salary. Well, the demonstration ended in my town where students burst into the classrooms and started throwing papers and overturning desks. The police were called and, when they arrived, started beating everyone they could lay hands (or clubs) on, teachers and students alike. Many students had to be retrieved from police lockup that evening. And why? Because their teachers hadn't been paid for months on end.

This is what a bad economy looks like. Those in power keep the money, those not in power dream of the day when they'll be in power and also be able to funnel money to their own pockets.

So when you think about the economy, consider this: when you work, you get paid. And not everyone has it that way.