the whole idea of catching up comes from the belief that the western way of life is the norm

i think solarus had the best example: a village has a way of getting water that is inconvenient but has been their way of life for many thousands of years. in comes a peace corps who says "i can't believe u don't purify yr water!" they install a makeshift purifier. as the purifier sours, so does the water. and the village has a drought.

this sense of a need for development has brought about many of the horrific problems that plague africa and african americans today.

why not choose which developments make sense by evaluating them for sustainability and using common sense?