Maldives: Elders and a Talk Over Scrambled Eggs

Bandos Island, Maldives

"I think sometimes we slow them down," he said with a bit of a sigh as he mindfully raised his tea cup back to his lips.

At breakfast that morning I was fortunate to be invited to sit with three lovely elders. The conversation had started somewhere else entirely. Between mouthfuls of scrambled eggs I had asked these them what their favorite thing was about life in the Maldives.

Their faces lit up.

"As a child I loved waking up early to collect sea shells near the ocean. We always found some treasure."
"Ah yes,"" said another. "There were so many barefoot walks on the beach, and far less trash."

But, at some point that changed. The Maldives, but in particular Male - the capital city and main island- were quite suddenly supercharged. The population grew, tall buildings were erected. Roads were built. And, today it is unrecognizable from what these men experienced as children.

Today, tall buildings, scooters, and boat docks rule the island. All this clustered on a small patch of land no bigger than 6 km squared.

"It's changed a lot. But we let that happen..." There was a somber recognition that what exists now is not ideal; and that a lot of harm has come from the rapid growth that the Maldives have experienced. And I couldn't help but hear a bit of guilt in their voices as they acknowledged that all that happened during "their" time.

Now the Maldives face major problems stemming from overpopulation, trash control, soil erosion, conflict, and most prominently - the risks that climate change poses. As sea levels rise, entire island populations are forced from their homes and relocate.

If something isn't done soon, it will only continue to get worse, and more people will suffer.

My breakfast was getting cold. I probably hadn't touched my scrambled eggs in an hour. Listening seemed more important.

I had to ask, "Do you think there's a solution?"

"Yes, but it's so hard to imagine. There's a lot of work to be done..and we can't go back to the olden days."

Certainly not. But, perhaps there was another way. The islands are full of young people..and I had been working with 40 of them - youth leaders on the Youth Leadership Programme- bursting with potential, for the past 3 weeks. I knew they had potential. I pointed it out.

"Of course, young people are our hope for the future," they all agreed.

" So what's the issue, then?" I asked.

The answer was simply, "There are too many elders..and I think sometimes we slow them down. We are too stuck in our way of thinking." It's the youth, it was suggested, that could lead the way with new ideas.

"But what about the elders?" I asked. "You have so much experience and insight you could share..."

"We do! Of course. But the conversations don't happen across generations... They just don't."

So what would it take to make that happen? I wondered.

No answer. Just mindful chewing on breakfast, sipping on tea..and then it was obvious.

"....You know," I chimed in. "You could just talk to them over breakfast..."

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This blog was written by World Merit Global Ambassador Martina Buchal