Diary 1963 - Murshid Sam's Living Stream

Diaries 1963Benninghofville DesertJune 6, 1963Dear Harry:This is Indio. The last months have been of work, frustrations and plenty surprises. Where youexpect cooperation you get blocks and where you don’t expect at all you get it—opportunities. Bythis time I have not had much success with Americans excepting farmers and scientists and I havenothing but good fortune in my relations with Asia Orientals.Asian cultures in the U.S. are largely in the hands of Europeans. No one knows why, but theyare. And the stories I have heard about tourists and even Foreign Service people who have beenbriefed by these “experts” would be delighted excepting they show the folly of trying to win a “coldwar” by aiming at those on the side lines and leaving the enemy alone until this mopping operationis completed. If you think I am talking nonsense read what is said about Indonesia, then multiply itat least ten times. Very uncomfortable and just as true.Urged to work on my memories, I found later that the very people who insisted my storieswould sell and that “How California Can Help Asia” was not so important, I have ended up by findingnobody to trust of my own generation—and myself now becoming a leader of sundry Americanswho think that the way to learn about Asia is to study under Asians. Anyhow this has brought merecognition—and plenty of it—abroad.On top of that is the saga of my god-daughter in Pakistan. This is a series of events, fromcloak-and-dagger down to seminars for which Sam Lewis hasn’t “the credentials,” and the upshot isthat she has become most famous and successful and I am getting the credit for all kinds of things—abroad.As I am going to art school I stuck pretty much to S.F. but have squeezed a few days to comesouth (a) on an Oriental venture (b) to come to Indio; (c) to visit relatives. (a.) and (b) have so farbeen very rewarding.This valley has two ecological sections only. Howard came south full of enthusiasm and determinationbut after a while he found he could analyze soil almost at a glance, the corrective programbecame stylized, and the need for analyses diminished. He then changed over to becoming a soilconsultant, which now brings big fees but from very few clients. Indeed if it were not for unusualfactors, he might be squeezed out. But his wife has opened a travel bureau, he himself has made be atrip around the world, and from this angle, I have caused to write him at some length when I return,having innumerable suggestions and leads which are being offered only to profession.Between studies of “Desert Agriculture in California” and the over-all of my experiencesabroad, the analyses and problems are remarkably like those I have met, but here we have answersand part-answers.