Ally Matsoso’s blog The Philosophy of Motherhood is a treasure, and not only for mothers by any means. I enjoy all her writing but her essay Exploration: Know the Place for the First Time is particularly worth recommending. It resonates with me in part because I have been paying particular attention to my neighbourhood and community the past couple of years, and consciously directing my energy into those local relationships (and for the past 6 months, pulling back from social media). It started with the Covid-19 related restrictions on activities but has become a meaningful and rewarding approach to life in its own right.
Ally shares how personal observations and connections made in Africa and around the developing world affected her ideas of meaning and the ways in which we “make a difference.” Living abroad is so eye opening. Tourism is often enjoyable and better than nothing, but living in a different culture and forming relationships and working through the dislocation and challenges of an unfamiliar place is a whole other level. Definitely I would recommend it as an experience undertaken with openness and humility (I think those two things are probably necessary to survive, but certainly they will impact how much you learn.)
Seriously the best thing I am likely to read today, and perhaps you too!
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