A: Where do you really want to be in five years?
B: Sitting in a bar somewhere in the developing world, Africa perhaps or South East Asia, the Caucasus sipping a beer discussing local politics with a colleague, a local expert or simply listening to a local resident, in hope that someone in a position of power reads or sees my report and takes action that could aid someone less fortunate than themselves.

Life is weird, you win some and you loose some. People come and go, we all I guess hope that we have “made a difference” and affected someone in some shape or form. Why is there so must discord in the world? Is it because we are just sick animals who know how to talk, but yet have forgotten that this simple tool which allows us to convey complex ideas, was developed over thousands of years and is the origin of development as we know it today. These days we use this tool loosely and don't think about the consequences or outcome of telling a simple lie for example. The wheels of development keep on turning and have as no one denies had a hugely positive affect on societiy by offering up a certain level of economic freedom to individuals.

But development at what cost? The selfish behaviour that affects societies of a developing nature demonstrates peoples utter desperation to not understand what it is they are developing for.

I don’t pretend to be an expert on this subject, but I do know that getting to know the world we live in and fully understanding ourselves shows a level of commitment that we bring to our communities where and whoever they are. This does not just simply mean lowering our individual consumption, but it also means honouring people that we interact with.

The nature of a developing economy, is that it seeks out opportunity at any cost. This transcribes into the behaviour of individuals and manifests itself in a “survival” culture. Survival of the fittest. Why? Because there is no alternative. This is the divide that affects us all, and breeds with it a deep cynicism in society which encourages selfish acts that have massive repurcussions on others.

The resource rich countries house the highest rates of poverty in the world. The “resource curse” leads to opportunity being a priority over true progress and commitment. Governments who hold a large percentage of the world’s oil wealth don’t know how to maximize their revenues which should largely benefit their own citizens. Large corporations exploit this “opportunist” mentality and the “opportunists” lap it right up. The nature of oil markets – the boom bust scenario – mean that government, whose main revenues are tied up in it, need better financial planning in order to plan national budgets for health and education better.

There are not only problems of budgeting involved when thinking about resource rich countries, but cultural traits that have implications on how systems develop. Culture must be taken into consideration when wanting to understand the problems of any society. The Aids crisis in South Africa has been the biggest health risk in the 21st century. Yet, no one recognises it still, even the former-prime minister Jacob Zuma brushed it off this week when he was acquitted of rape charges as if it were a mildly dangerous disease. The reality is that 25,000 to 35,000 individuals are dying every month and this figure will rise to 40,000 say experts. A health crisis of epic proportions, an epidemic is gripping South Africa.

In Soweto alone the estimated rate of infected people is 63%, according to a local AIDS activist. When we spoke to Jacob, a 19 year old Soweton resident who lives with HIV, he answered candidly. Saying it out loud is a nerve racking thing. Can you imagine knowing that at least six of your neighbours have HIV/AIDS, but are not getting the necessary treatment, and therefore will be dead within a few years. This is the scary reality of what is happening in Soweto.

The generation of positives are fighting back and taking action by running prevention campaigns that are run by the youth and administered to it. The push to keep South Africa’s youth “negative” is working. The rate of negatives in 12 to 15 year olds is at an all time high of 97%. Higher rates of infection occur when girls reach 17 years. Economically challenged they have unprotected sex for money as men prefer not use condoms. In Zulu culture men get what they want when it comes to sex as demonstrated by the Jacob Zuma trial. Young girls then fall pregnant and are discovered to be HIV positive after being tested for pregnancy.

Use the gift of speech to do good, act with a level of sincerity and thought. Discuss, discuss, discuss and allow others to express their thoughts, and listen openly without judgement. Development often by-passes the "process". It is in the process that we appreciate the development. South Africa's youth are using this tool to teach their peers and young neighbours about the risks of HIV/AIDS and they are doing it extremely well.