Last night, 60 Minutes featured a report on "sea gypies" living off the coast of Thailand and Burma--who've garnered world attention for uniformly managing to survive the tsunami of a few years back.
What interested me even more than this fact? An almost-casual aside offered three-quarters of the way through the piece.
They have no words for "I want."
And nothing for "hello" or "goodbye" either. Distant relatives from other islands paddle in for a visit, indifferent to whether it's been weeks, months, or years since last meeting and parting. Comings-and-goings are simply experienced as fabric of the whole.
While lying in bed watching TV, I couldn't help but giggle. Imagine my fellow New Yorkers living this way for even a day!
What a grand experiment that would be.
1 comment:
Shusshy - ain't no sea gypsy here.
"I want" a "hello" from India!
Post a Comment