Thoughts

I've been thinking a lot about Eduardo's idea that Guatemala is a baby taking it's first steps toward stability. In the United States we had the privilege to start from scratch and build a country based on democracy. As a country we have had great luck and put a lot of work into the development of our country and our leadership. Guatemala, however, has suffered incredible injustice and corruption. It is hard to build up a country after such hardship. I like to think of it as the idea of building a house. The United States had all of the bricks and mortar with which to build their home. As a country we have run into a few construction problems along the way, but we have had a solid foundation underneath each of these problems and the means with which to purchase higher quality equipment. Guatemala was a shaky house. It has fallen and crumbled. The people here have had a pile of rubble that they must now clear away and sort through to begin building again with very little means…I hope that makes sense outside of my head.

When thinking about all of the lectures and talks we have attended, I think I have received a somewhat rounded view of Guatemala. We have heard from guerillas, military personnel, and civilians. From what I have gathered, the people here do not trust the police, army, or the government. They can not invest in the civil institutions and therefore have very little to no sense of security. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why the crime rate is so high, why the people have a raw sense of suspicion, and why in some areas the communities seem to be in disarray and an almost chaotic state. As citizens of the United States we have a very comfortable state of security with most of our civil institutions. We can take comfort in the thought that our leadership is held accountable. The military won't enter our homes and kill our loved ones and our president would never order massacre. We are lucky as a people that the only civil war we have experienced is through text books, and that war was for the liberation of slaves…a just cause. We saw a positive outcome from the battles of our ancestors. The Guatemalan people are still getting over their war. It was not a just war and has really had no positive effects on the country. It was a war with no definitive end and no definitive outcome.

….just expressing some thoughts….

In a little bit I will be attending and participating in a Mayan spiritual ritual. I will probably write all about it today or tomorrow. Until then.