Candle in the harsh African wind

I just found out that my research assistant in Lesotho, a bright promising 21 year old, is planning to migrate and work at a mine in the Free State, South Africa. On the one hand, I understand the reality of Lesotho and Maluti Hospital and that neither offer much of a future or paycheck to a young Mosotho male, but on the other hand I’m petrified of what might happen to him. Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, alcohol, and drugs are part and parcel of what comes with working at the mines. After all the stories about the effects of the mines on Basotho men and their families (and don’t get me wrong there was some good, mainly in the form of steady income remittances) I’m scared shitless for him. One of the phenomenon which I have seen in Lesotho and elsewhere that poverty/living-paycheck-to-paycheck is the norm (and I include some member of my immediate and extended family in this category) and which seems to stymie potential is the “live-in-the-moment” mentality of folks. Having a few beers, buying a DVD, and purchasing a cheap fuck with a prostitute all come at the expense of the future of the individual. You may not be around tomorrow, and life is pretty damn miserable and hard today, so you might as well enjoy this moment. Of course, Oprah, Dr. Phil, and a host of other TV talking heads say that you need to live in the moment but hey that’s fine if you have a few million (or billion) socked away in your Swiss bank account, but not so kosher if you are trying to get yourself out of poverty. Unfortunately, this is the case with my research assistant. The poor guy could never just be a kid or teenager. He was saddled with huge responsibilities at a young age when he and his sister were orphaned, and his extended family have offered little help except when they wanted something. Yet opportunities have been there for him to grab and he has decided many a time to take the “live-in the-moment” approach. I can’t fault him for his decision but I did decide to go and light a candle at the San Xavier Del Bac Mission for his future. I hope whatever god, goddess, or supreme force who is floating out there will keep him safe.