26-4
What caused Luis’s death? This is a key
question to start discussion after reading
or telling the story. The question can be
approached in many ways. Here is one
possibility.
The question game: “But why. . . ?”
To help the group recognize the complex chain of causes that led to Luis’s death,
play the game, “But why... ?” Everyone tries to point out different causes. Each
time an answer is given, ask the question “But why. . . ?” This way, everyone
keeps looking for still other causes. If the group examines only one area of causes,
but others exist, the discussion leader may need to go back to earlier questions, and
rephrase them so that the group explores in new directions.
For the STORY OF LUIS, the “But why. . . ?”question game might develop like
this:
Q: What caused Luis’s illness?
A: Tetanus—the tetanus bacterium.
Q: BUT WHY did the tetanus bacteria
attack Luis and not someone else?
A: Because he got a thorn in his foot.
Q: BUT WHY did that happen?
A: Because ho was barefoot.
Q: BUT WHY was he barefoot?
A: Because he was not wearing sandals.
Q: BUT WHY not?
A: Because they broke and his father
was too poor to buy him new ones.
Q: BUT WHY is his father so poor?
A: Because he is a sharecropper.
Q: BUT WHY does that make him poor?
A: Because he has to give half his
harvest to the landholder.
Q: BUT WHY?
A: (A long discussion can follow,
depending on conditions in your
particular area.)
Q: Let us go back for a minute.
What is another reason why the
tetanus bacteria attacked Luis
and not someone else’
A: Because he was not vaccinated.
Q: BUT WHY was he not vaccinated?
A: Because his village was not well
covered by the vaccination team
from the larger town.
Q: BUT WHY was the village not
covered?
A: Because the villagers did not
cooperate enough with the team
when it did come to vaccinate.
Q: What is another reason?
A: The doctor refused to let the
midwife give vaccinations.
Q BUT WHY did he refuse’
A: Because he did not trust her. Because
he thought it would be dangerous lor
the children.
Q: WHY did he think that way? Was he right?
A: (Again a whole discussion.)
Q: BUT not all children who get tetanus die.
WHY did Luis die while others live?
A: Perhaps it was God’s will.
Q: BUT WHY Luis?
A: Because he was not treated adequately.
Q: WHY NOT?
A: Because the midwife tried first to treat him
with a tea.
Q: WHY ELSE?
A: Because the doctor in San Ignacio could
not treat him. He wanted to send Luis to
Mazatlan for treatment.
Q: BUT WHY?
A: Because he did not have the right
medicine.
Q: WHY NOT?
A: Because it is too expensive.
Q: BUT WHY is this life-saving medicine
so expensive?
A: (A whole discussion can follow. Depending
on the group, this might include comments
on the power and high profits of
international drug companies, etc.!
Q: BUT WHY did Luis’s parents not take him
to Mazatlan?
A: They did not have enough money.
Q: WHY NOT?
A: Because the landholder charged them so
much to drive them to San Ignacio.
Q: WHY did he do that? (A whole discussion
on exploitation and greed can follow.)
A: Because they were so poor.
Q: BUT WHY are they so poor? (This question
will keep coming up.)