What's behind?
In the cave monastry complex I saw this old (am sure she was at least 70, perhaps 80) digging the garden. I found it absurd that you have all those well-fed and healthy monks and then an old lady like her should do their gardening!
Anyway, my thoughts drifted (hey that is why I do this trip - to let my thoughts drift) to how many of the churches, castles and other wonders of the world that have been built by pure slave labour or forced labour. Think the pyramid, think the Great Wall of China, all slave work. Most of the famous churces and castles, forced labour. Even the nice park in Uman was made by the serfs to the Polish landlords. The nice city centre of Kiev - built by German prisoners of war. So as well as boycotting textiles from sweat shops we might want to boycott the wonders of the world? A new certification system: non-slave tourist monument (I heard on the TV one of these days that even the White House was partly built by slaves...). Food for thought.
Depressing indeed. Religions have power over peoples life, but who said that the men in power are good people just because they represent a religion? The bojcott idea is not bad, am afraid that few will live up to the bojcott. We have visited many of those famous buildings over the years ourself.
