The definition of life and its importance is really weighing heavy on my mind today. I cant possibly put a value on someones life or even begin to justify if one is more valuable then the other. I'm a firm believer that every person has their specific role in this world, whether it be deemed less valuable then the next. Whether you are fulfilling that role or not cant be determined though. Is it really my role to be in a 3rd world country helping less fortunate people? Or am i being selfish and doing what I want to do? Who determines these things? Whether you believe in a higher power or not, i think its an important thing to really sit down and think about. Are you fulfilling your role in this world?
Now the reason life is weighing hard on my mind today is because of an event that happened over the weekend here in Grenada. Now let me attach a disclaimer: Crime rates here in Grenada are VERY low, much lower then even the community i live in back home. Petty thefts are about the only real crimes here. But over the weekend one of the most brutal crimes happened in the north part of the island. A man went crazy (no other way to put it) and decapitated two of his friends with a machete. Now i wish the story ended here but it didn't, as he decided to place the heads of these two men in a bucket and drive down to the police station to turn them in. Whats the point of turning them in you ask? No answer, but it caused havoc in the small village as the news spread that they actually had to board up the police station.
Today its constant conversation about the motive of this man who cruelly beheaded his friends for no apparent reason. And what makes this story even more personal is one of the men who was beheaded actually assisted in one of our training sessions during Pre-Service Training. We were learning about community calendars and how to better plan events around certain times of the year, and Clyde was asked to come speak on behalf of the lives of farmers and how they plan their years. He was so insightful and helpful with our learning process. Many of the other volunteers had never been around real farms (damn town folks), so what Clyde had to say was absorbed into our brains in the "important" files. He had actually invited us to his farm to explore the operation of a small farm. We were so excited about the offer and were organizing when we could all go. I was familiar with Clyde because he sold his produce in the market on Fridays and Saturdays. He would always yell "Hey Peace Corps!" as i walked by, no need to know my name. haha. He had the greatest smile every Friday and seemed to be so passionate about his farm.
Though I only knew Clyde for a short time, i loved his spirit and the passion he brought when talking about farming. Here is to you Clyde...RIP.
Here is the link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36946838/
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