For those beloved readers who have misunderstood what I was getting at in my last edition of KK, let me sum it up with one word: “love”. Presumably, the reason why we, as foreigners, live in Bali is because we love Bali. We may love the gentle, friendly people who for the most part are fantastically welcoming and tolerant; it may be the sun, sand and surf; it could be gamelan music and dance; perhaps it’s simply the bargain shopping – different strokes for different folks. So if you really do love Bali, treat the island how you would treat something you love: with care and respect.
However… if you come to Bali to do as you please, give a bad example, treat the locals like crap and assume you can always get away with it because Bali is somehow lawless and you are some sort of tourist god, it’s better for all of us if you shed your skin someplace else. I target no particular country, ethnicity, persuasion or religious background: if we can share the positive things about who we are and how we can help to make the world a better place, Bali will treat us better too.
If you consider Bali your own backyard, there are plenty of good examples you can set to help make this fragile island an even nicer place to live. Just this morning I saw an expat walking her dog, pooper-scooper in hand, who was concerned enough to clean up after little “Fido” as he left his little parcels here and there (as any responsible dog owner should). I’ve also noticed that some considerate expats (yes, voluntarily) are now going outside to smoke when dining at restaurants. Happily, more of us are also shopping at the supermarkets with our clothes on; more are shopping with cloth bags and saying no to plastic; more are respecting the local traditions, more of us are driving less like we think we own the road; and hopefully more are acting less like we think we own Bali!
