I love Paul Theroux. If you've followed this blog for a while you may remember my review of and quotes from his book Dark Star Safari. I've tried to get into a few others he's written but while I've enjoyed the writing, the locations haven't interested me all that much. Another of his works I've wanted to read was published in 1975 and is called The Great Railway Bazaar, telling of his travels via train through various Asian countries. Fortunately for me, he just wrote an updated version of an updated trek, again through Asia, retracing the steps of his great voyage years ago, and I picked it up.

I love Theroux's little quips, whether he is making fun of someone or something or his various encounters. In my short experience with this book, he makes one of my favorite in describing other travel writers and their work:

Most writing about travel takes the form of jumping to conclusions, and so most travel books are superflous, the thinnest, most transparent monologuing. Little better than a license to bore, travel writing is the lowest form of literary self-indulgence: dishonest complaining, creative mendacity, pointless heroics, and chronic posturing, most of it distorted with Munchausen syndrome.

I have to be honest, my first thought upon reading this was that it reminded me of some of the mission letters I receive weekly as well as a few I've written in the past (sorry friends). Dishonest complaining...pointless heroics...chronic posturing...yep, that was me, and yep, that's many of the letters I get.

What's interesting is that is the mission culture we've developed. We can't tell people that things are getting better, then why should they continue to sponsor you or your work? If we tell people that things are cool now and great work is being done, they may not see the need to support the work. We need to make it an adventure for them, to think of the people as uncivilized, ancient natives in need of converting, in need of saving, with children dying everywhere of tropical diseases, that is what we Americans are in the business of. It's a fine balance, we need to show them that work is being done, but not so much that they are not needed. Thus, we get what we deserve, dishonest complaining...pointless heroics...chronic posturing.