pareidolia

Decades ago I learned about a road that a development agency wanted to build. A well-meaning NGO was trying to protect the communities from being disturbed by the road and so insisted it bypass them. When the road was going to be built the developers put out flags where the road was supposed to go. Overnight the communities kept grabbing the flags and moving them near their communities - because roads meant economic development. The closer to the road the community was, the more it prospered. The closer one's home was to the road, the more on individually  prospered. 

Yesterday I learned that in the Solomon Islands the view of roads is more complex. On the one hand, everyone believes roads are necessary for development. On the other hand, people are worried that these roads will bring insecurity and immorality. They are worried about bad people coming to town, and local people going bad because they can blame it on outsiders. Worse! Local people use the roads to go to the city and couch surf with family and friends for a while instead of staying at home, doing back breaking labor on the farm and maintaining the house! 

Well, when you make staying at home sound so appealing....