Shattered Chasm: The Lighter Side of Living in Liberia

Shattered Chasm: The Lighter Side of Living in Liberia
ISBN-10
ISBN-13
9798463155962
Pages
122
Language
English
Published
2021-08-24
Publisher
Independently Published
Author
Michael W Nicholson

Description

Global perceptions about Liberia tend to cover up its lighter side-or, at least, the very positive feelings so many people have had about living and working in the country. This book is about the professional and personal experiences of a U.S. government economist living in Liberia from 2012 to 2014. Embracing the concept of the "chasm" of culture, politics, and history between citizens of Western countries and the poorest of the poor, its central thesis holds that all of us ultimately do live in the same world. The collected stories engage the lifestyle of an expat aid worker while raging against the culture of charity, steeped in pity, that often feeds the machine of development work that makes that lifestyle a cliché. Pity is demoralizing and dehumanizing. Don't pity other people, ever.