2008 Woodie Awards
Social humility
civic engagement
By: Aneesh Kapur
Issue date: 2/5/08 Section: Columns
Last update: 2/5/08 at 7:03 AM EST
Last update: 2/5/08 at 7:03 AM EST
The drought-dismissing Duke student (noun): 1. avoids hand-sanitizer dispensers forced upon him or her by the administration; 2. a. leaves the tap running while brushing teeth; b. takes 10-minute showers just to get away from homework; 3. changes the water cup after every game.
Many of us have acted as if we are above the drought. We've paid $1.00 in food points for a shot of water at The Loop without displaying much care or concern. But what would we do if we were being watched? What if our hydrophilic behaviors were being judged by Durham families living under Stage IV water restrictions?
Perhaps then we would feel distress for our greater community-we'd resist the urge to sanitize and rinse and only shower before important rush events. But why can't we target this balance between necessity and extravagance even without being watched? Why are "RLHS vs. the drought" signs not enough? Where, truly, is our humility?
Sure, we may be more talented than, far smarter than and generally superior to our counterparts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-no need to be humble there. Yet humility is something we could all strive to display more often-a quality I came closest to learning this past summer while living and volunteering through the DukeEngage program in New Delhi, the perpetually drought-plagued capital of India.
I recognize that calling a city of 22 million inhabitants "waterless" may strike some as an exaggeration. But if your two-bucket "bath" ran dry with shampoo still in your hair, or your toilet didn't flush more than once a day, you'd be more likely to understand.
There I was: stranded, without evacuation insurance, in 100-degree weather, challenged to adapt to the distressed world around me. There were six of us in that tiny apartment: four boys, two girls-one flush. We each learned to shower with less than one liter, brush our teeth with less than a pint and not use the restroom casually.
All the while, we avoided drinking Delhi's tap water-the convicted agent of the infamous "Delhi Belly" (translation: more flushes). Instead, we sipped store-bought bottled water, and we stood out because of it.
Many of us have acted as if we are above the drought. We've paid $1.00 in food points for a shot of water at The Loop without displaying much care or concern. But what would we do if we were being watched? What if our hydrophilic behaviors were being judged by Durham families living under Stage IV water restrictions?
Perhaps then we would feel distress for our greater community-we'd resist the urge to sanitize and rinse and only shower before important rush events. But why can't we target this balance between necessity and extravagance even without being watched? Why are "RLHS vs. the drought" signs not enough? Where, truly, is our humility?
Sure, we may be more talented than, far smarter than and generally superior to our counterparts at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-no need to be humble there. Yet humility is something we could all strive to display more often-a quality I came closest to learning this past summer while living and volunteering through the DukeEngage program in New Delhi, the perpetually drought-plagued capital of India.
I recognize that calling a city of 22 million inhabitants "waterless" may strike some as an exaggeration. But if your two-bucket "bath" ran dry with shampoo still in your hair, or your toilet didn't flush more than once a day, you'd be more likely to understand.
There I was: stranded, without evacuation insurance, in 100-degree weather, challenged to adapt to the distressed world around me. There were six of us in that tiny apartment: four boys, two girls-one flush. We each learned to shower with less than one liter, brush our teeth with less than a pint and not use the restroom casually.
All the while, we avoided drinking Delhi's tap water-the convicted agent of the infamous "Delhi Belly" (translation: more flushes). Instead, we sipped store-bought bottled water, and we stood out because of it.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
:)
posted 2/05/08 @ 10:19 AM EST
Aneesh, I am so happy you wrote this article. I got really used to not using water frivolously when in Delhi or other drought-stricken places in India, and get pissed off really easily when, for the sake of "personal freedom", people waste and waste. (Continued…)
Crazy
posted 2/05/08 @ 1:30 PM EST
There is an inherit arrogance in most Duke students that gets nurtured, not balanced, here.
Peer pressure rules this school. Under peer distress students will do most anything. (Continued…)
S Chang
posted 3/30/08 @ 1:05 AM EST
"Inside the protected walls of Duke, it's easy to lose sight of the distressed world around us. We are surrounded by a city facing water shortages, health crises and daily suffering, but many of us only notice-and only care-when reminded. (Continued…)
Post a Comment