Comparable?

I found the discussion of comparative incomes and mortality rates in different countries to be quite interesting. There is a lot of truth to what Sen mentions about the relationship of supposedly deprived groups within one country as they relate to countries that are thought by the majority to be impoverished. I completely agree that it is amazing that the state of a group of people like Blacks in a rich country like the United States can be considered comparable to populations in countries like China, India, or even Jamaica.

Personally, this idea hits home twice. My family is from Jamaica and I understand the current state of the economy in the country. To think that there are so many families that have migrated and continue to migrate to the United States in search of better wages and better lives for their families is in a way bittersweet. Sweet, because so many of my people have made it to the "land of opportunity". Bitter, because the opportunity that was so sure is not always the reality. The mentality of those who remain in Jamaica leans heavily to the sweet side. I cannot speak for all, but my family seems to think that money grows on trees in the States.

Though one may reside in an affluent country such as the United States, quality of life may not exactly mirror what is expected. On the other hand, it is interesting to actually think about the term quality of life. So many times I have heard my parents say we [children] don't know how blessed we are. They can go on for days about the things that we are priveleged to have that they never even dreamed about having when they were growing up. That being said, however, I don't ever think there was a time that they thought they themselves were poor. We have a saying that goes "tun ya hand an mek fashun". A direct translation would be "turn your hand and make fashion", simply meaning use what you have and make it work for you. As Sen argues, some economic development may not be as good as it seems because it may actually diminish the traditions and cultural heritage of a people. I completely agree. Had my parents and other peoples of Jamaica seen a host of economic development, I'm not too sure that many of our traditions and culturally unique aspects would be as vibrant as they are today.