I'd come to recognize a contradiction at the heart of my traveling around Latin America and the rest of the globe: the airplanes and buses I take consume far more than my share of the planet's nonrenewable resources, especially oil. Yet, at the same time, I seek to live in solidarity with groups like the Cofan in their struggle for survival and autonomy [*the Cofan live on one of the largest oil reserves in the world and at the time of writing were fighting to stop drilling, as oif 2018 they have succeeded, somewhat*]. On balance, my journeying probably does the earth more harm than good. I have benefited enormously from my Latin American hosts' generosity and willingness to teach me about their lives and their struggles, but all too often I have little to offer in return.

[*Again, I have immense respect for Boudin addressing this. It goes against the script of modern America and that always takes courage*]