James Workman has written a book, Heart of Dryness: How the Last Bushmen Can Help Us Endure the Coming Age of Permanent Drought. Is this another example of the paradoxical nature of simplified living, only applied on a global scale?
Yes. In 2002, the Botswanian government sought to evict Bushmen who lived in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve by eliminating their water supply. Bushmen were forced to return to time-honored practices of simple living to survive their hostile environment. One band, under the leadership of Qoroxloo Duxee, resisted until 2005, when the government intensified its siege. The Bushmen’s struggle mirrored that of Botswana as drought conditions spread across the entire region between 2002 and 2006.
Workman intertwines the story of the conflict between the Botswanian government and the Bushmen with his reminder that water supplies are diminishing around the world, including the United States. Dwindling water supplies are bad enough, but the use of water as a weapon by governments and its sale to those with money further complicates the situation.
Much of the book centers on Qoroxloo’s efforts to squeeze out from her dry environment all possible water. Imitating her practices provides strategies for surviving a hotter and drier world. Workman captures the paradoxical nature of the situation as he affirms that “Africa’s hunter-gatherers were not to be pitied but glorified, for they offered us our last shot at salvation.” The world’s need for water continues to increase. Societies usually work to increase the amount of water to meet demand. The Bushmen offer an alternative—“organize human behavior and society around constraints imposed by diminishing physical resources.”
The Bushmen teach the importance of cooperation in finding and using water as they uphold every person’s right to water needed for survival. They exemplify where, when and how to use water by such examples as resting under trees during the hottest parts of the day. They recognize and understand full utilization of all resources and how each can best be used. They use resources that were remarkably adept at surviving in the Kalahari Desert.
What may have been the most inspiring section of the book was the account of the last few days of Qoroxloo’s life. What some might call a harsh and subhuman existence did not destroy her spirit. Actually, it offered a vivid illustration of losing your life in order to save it. As the government tightened the net and the outcome was certain, she rose one night before a fire and began to sing and dance. The next morning, defying soldiers sent by the government, she walked out of the camp to gather food and water for herself and her people. Searchers found on her body several days later a bag of food that she could have eaten to save herself but apparently was saving for others.
David Morgan is pastor of Trinity Baptist Church in Harker Heights, Texas. Right or Wrong? is sponsored by the T.B. Maston Chair of Christian Ethics at Hardin-Simmons University’s Logsdon School of Theology. Contributors include Baptists in Virginia, Texas, Missouri and other states. Send your questions about how to apply your faith to [email protected].