There are about 100 uncontacted tribes in the world… I didn’t know we could evade American Idol, let alone communication today!  But ongoing illegal deforestation is changing that for the tribe above, and the Brazilian government has been forced to prove that they exist because people don’t believe they do.  Maybe people are concerned that Mel Gibson sold scrap footage from Apocalypto… or that perhaps Brazil contracted out some handy Photoshop work.  A commenter on another blog says, “what are the odds that they too would invent bows and arrows? are we sure this isnt a hoax?“  Any doubts?  Look here and here.

Send in the helicopters and paparazzi

The two possible actions we can take are save them and leave them alone.  Regardless, we’ve already put a crack in their world view.  Now they’ll live in fear of the giant thunderous birds from the sky.  Politics aren’t my strong suit, but I’m pretty sure we don’t need to colonize…

If we save them, we can offer:

• Compound bows and fiberglass arrows
• Designer clothing
• Medicine
• Wi-Fi
• Credit cards

If we leave them alone, they can’t receive:

• Scholarships
• Social Networking opportunities
• Lead-based toys from China
• Economic Stimulus Checks

The benefits are mostly ours if we disturb them.  They would die from our diseases in exchange for a chapter in a textbook.  We need to compare the good we can offer versus bad we can cause.

The Allegory of the Cave

While playing out various disastrous scenarios in my head, Plato’s Allegory of the Cave drifted into my head, and I put myself in the tribe’s shoes (well, bare feet).  I felt terrified.  It’s easy to agree that the tribe’s world view should be protected.  But on the other hand, isn’t that the same as telling myself not to question anything, or that I don’t require change?

I wonder what various rights activists and humanitarians would say about these situations.  Imagine a tribe uninfluenced by the current world… what if women can’t vote?  What then?  Do we interfere just long enough for tribeswomen to get on the same playing field, or is it better to allow the inequality?  What if this tribe were discovered in the United States?

My lingering question: When will someone discover me in my cave?  And will I raise my arrow their way?

“I Have a Dream” – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

“The more efficient a force is, the more silent and the more subtle it is.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Gandhi, who influences King’s non-violent resistance, advises us to “aim at complete harmony of thought and word and deed.” Non-violent resistance is frustrating and difficult, but consider how fake equality’s cause would appear led with a banner of violence. Now granted, people do listen to pain. Hitler was violent. He chose violent words to match violent actions. And because his words and actions were in “harmony,” Hitler was able to motivate his henchmen effectively for a time. Thankfully, hate and fear have an expiration date. King’s peaceful actions are efficient and effective. They are long-lasting. Start with a good purpose, then look for good words to match.

Words With Purpose Have Staying Power

The Green Bay Packers’ Brett Favre had a dream this year, but they lost last night’s game to the New York Giants, and Super Bowl XLII is gone from their future. The words “green bay” briefly reached the top ten search terms list on Google, but that quickly dropped with fans’ hopes for big, bulky, championship rings. But even when a purpose like “win the Super Bowl” fails, the strongest parts of the purpose linger. The Packers may have lost, but search terms for “green bay bikini girls” still make it into the top ten searches (hmm… visual aides have nothing to do with that)! When we select words for our purposes, we need to pick the resilient ones. Resilient words are usually related to the group of people your purpose effects.

King’s words are resilient… even more than “green bay bikini girls.” Long after his 1968 assassination, he still inspires us with his words and his purpose. Google’s number one search term today, “martin luther king jr. day”, beat terms like “gossip report” and “drunken stepfather” beyond 4pm. Equality is a work in progress. Yes, and hopefully drunken stepfathers too.

When words like, “I have a dream,” become cultural mortar, those words are here to stay. Thank you for your words, Dr. King.